KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 – As she walked up the stage to deliver her speech at the Global Wharton Forum yesterday, it seemed to be just another duty call for the ever calm-looking Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz. But for those present at the hall of Sasana Kijang, especially among the media fraternity, there was this bugging question on who will take over from her to helm the central bank, one of the most crucial position, amid the vulnerable global economy.
Zeti was appointed as Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) governor in 2000 when Malaysia and the rest of Asian countries were struggling to ride out the economic storm of the then 1997/1998-sparked Asian financial crisis. The 68-year-old governor, who was ranked as the World’s best central bank chief in 2009 by Global Finance magazine, will be retiring in April.
She said it has been a long marathon on a very treacherous terrain. She said this on being with BNM for 35 years and helming it for 16 years. On Friday, she was honoured by The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania with the “Ben on the Bench” plaque as the first person in the world to receive it.
It is the same university that Zeti received her doctorate in monetary and international economies in 1978. The Wharton School’s Dean and Reliance Professor of Management and Private Enterprise Geoffrey Garret acknowledged her contribution not only for Malaysia but also for the regional as well as global financial and banking sector.
The one that is taking over the baton should be “equally good”, he quipped. Under her stewardship of BNM, Malaysia saw an overhaul of the banking and financial sector, including the merger of 35 commercial banks into what it is today. She is well known for her stern look and consistent decision in policy making – the much needed remedy for a growing economy like Malaysia.
The lady often seen clad in blue baju kurung is no doubt leaving the central bank and the country’s financial landscape with solid footing and sound policies. Malaysia’s first woman central bank governor has also planned the roadmap on how Malaysia could build its resilience for the future.
Despite numerous attempts in getting the answer on “who is next” from her, Zeti stuck to her consistent and steadfast answer – it is for the government to decide, while noting the fact that the recommendation has been done. Well, that’s a predictable answer from indeed a predictable governor.
