KUALA LUMPUR, May 17- Maybank President and Chief Executive Officer Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar is the right person to support the prime minister’s continuity of the economic transformation agenda, says a leading banker.
“Wahid is the ideal guy. We congratulate him. It’s nice to see one of the leaders in the banking fraternity joining the government.
“I think he will do a very good job at the Economic Planning Unit (EPU),” said Datuk Seri Nazir Tun Razak (photo), CIMB Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who unveiled his new cabinet line-up yesterday, announced that Abdul Wahid has been appointed Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of the EPU.
Abdul Wahid, who had helmed Maybank since May 1, 2008, will be sworn in as
a Senator on June 5.
“(However), He is leaving at a time when the bank is at its strongest financial position despite challenges in the international marketplace,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the 10th Islamic Financial Services Board Summit.
Just last week, Maybank became the first Malaysian bank to enter a list of the world’s 20 strongest banks based on a financial evaluation by “Bloomberg Markets” magazine.
The bank was ranked 13th in the elite global group of banks’ assets of over US$100 billion based on its capital strength, asset quality, strong reserves, deposits and funding strength. Nazir said: “I also know that Datuk Seri (Abdul) Wahid and Datuk Seri Idris Jala are of the same mind set, their combination is very good for the Economic Transformation Programme, in particular,” said Nazir, a younger brother of Najib.
Besides Abdul Wahid’s surprise appointment, Idris has been reappointed as the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Departmentand will continue to helm the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) in the Prime Minister’s Department.
– BERNAMA
