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Tough job awaits next BI governor

The next governor of Bank Indonesia (BI), the central bank, has a tough job ahead, mainly in spurring domestic growth and deepening the country’s financial market to counter sudden external pressures, analysts have said

Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Tue, February 20, 2018

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Tough job awaits next BI governor

T

he next governor of Bank Indonesia (BI), the central bank, has a tough job ahead, mainly in spurring domestic growth and deepening the country’s financial market to counter sudden external pressures, analysts have said.

Analysts shared their views on the job of the next governor, as current BI Governor Agus Martowardojo will see his term end in May. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is now considering whether to keep or replace Agus.

Previously, Sofjan Wanandi, chief economic adviser to Vice President Jusuf Kalla, said the President and Vice President had considered several names to put forth for nomination as the next BI governor.

The names include National Development Planning Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro, former finance minister Chatib Basri, BI deputy governor Perry Warjiyo as well as incumbent Agus.

Agus, who was sworn in as BI governor in 2013, was previously the president director at state-owned lender Bank Mandiri. He also served as finance minister prior to his appointment as BI governor.

Like Agus, both Bambang and Chatib have also held the top post in the Cabinet as finance minister. Bambang served as predecessor of current Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati from October 2014 to July 2016, while Chatib had previously replaced acting finance minister Hatta Rajasa in May 2013 and held the post until October 2014.

Meanwhile, Perry was a career banker at BI, having joined the central bank in 1984 and previously served as the central bank’s director of monetary policy research prior to his tenure as deputy governor. However, he once left BI to become executive director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a two-year stint from 2007 to 2009.

Samuel Asset Management economist Lana Soelistianingsih called on the next BI governor to strengthen the country’s financial system to counter external pressures.

“The skills to manage external risks are important,” she said, adding that the upcoming governor should also be well versed in macroprudential policy in order to minimize sudden foreign capital outflow.

The next governor was also hoped to have a thorough understanding of the country’s banking sector, Lana said, as BI, together with the Financial Services Authority (OJK), worked to deepen the country’s financial market to counteract risks stemming from international developments.

She also called on the next governor to monitor and anticipate external risks, particularly coming from the tax cut in the United States. The tax cut leave US companies with additional capital, and if it is invested in the capital market, it could pose a bubble risk, Lana argued.

She said she hoped BI would have a progrowth stance going forward, while at the same time maintaining economic stability.

Bank Central Asia (BCA) chief economist David Sumual also concurred with Lana, saying the BI governor needs to have a deep understanding of the country’s banking sector.

“The BI governor should have technical knowledge and expertise in the country’s financial market and banking sector, which is needed to deepen the financial market as well as the development of financial instruments,” he said, while also expressing hope that the next BI governor will be professional and prudent in managing monetary policies.

He added the upcoming governor needs to be well versed in communicating with stakeholders, which includes the OJK, the Finance Ministry and the market.

Separately, University of Indonesia (UI) economist Ari Kuncoro emphasized that the upcoming governor needs to carry out internal reform and become an “agent of development” in the region.

“BI is needed not only as a central bank, but also as an agent of development. With all the branches and human resources it has in the regions, BI could help regional administrations in planning [for the region’s] development,” he said.

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