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Banking industry mourns passing of Tony
Tony Prasetiantono (Tribunnews
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Tony Prasetiantono (Tribunnews.com)
Indonesia’s banking industry lost one of its best minds with the death of senior economist Tony Prasetiantono on Wednesday evening.
The 56-year-old professor of Gadjah Mada University (UGM) reportedly died of a heart attack after having dinner with his colleagues in Jakarta. Reports said he called the receptionist of the hotel where he stayed about an hour after check-in, asking for emergency aid.
Several hotel staff members sensed something was wrong when Tony did not answer the knock on his room door and they found him unconscious after they let themselves in with a master key.
Tony passed away at 11:30 p.m. after he was taken to the MMC Hospital in South Jakarta.
His body was to be flown home to Sleman, Yogyakarta, on Thursday.
Tony, born in Muntilan, Central Java, is survived by his wife Eva Supita Dewi and a daughter.
Tony obtained his Bachelor’s degree in 1986 at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, his Master’s in 1991 and a doctorate from the Australian National University.
In addition to his position as a professor at UGM, Tony was a commissioner for a number of companies, including state-owned lender Bank Mandiri from 2003 to 2005 and private lenders Bank Permata and Bank Sumitomo Mitsui Indonesia. He was also the chief economist at state lender PT Bank Negara Indonesia.
Tony was a columnist for a number of newspapers and a speaker at various seminars. He was also frequently quoted by the press as a prominent expert in his field.
Having a fondness for jazz music, Tony was known as the promoter of concerts in UGM called the Economics Jazz, which featured performances of international figures such as Patti Austin and David Benoit.
Tony was a highly respected intellectual in the banking and financial services industry, with Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Perry Warjiyo recognizing the late economist’s major contributions to the academic world and the monetary field.
He is listed as a member of the Bank Indonesia Supervisory Board (BSBI) for 2017 to 2020.
“We fully respect and take note of his insights in his capacity as an academic and a member of BI’s supervisory board,” Perry said as he offered condolences before starting a press conference after a two-day BI board of governors meeting on Thursday.
Tony was also known as a revered senior among younger economists. Economist Josua Pardede, Tony’s former colleague at Bank Permata, said that his senior had always inspired him about being humble and insightful.
“He taught me how to be a sharp-minded and objective economist. It was rare for an economist to be able to explain complex economic issues with simple language,” he told The Jakarta Post via text message. “Indonesia has truly lost one of its best economists. So long, Pak Tony.”
Tony was one of Indonesia’s best market economists while being a scholar with an ability to make comprehensive analyses that fused economic theory and empirical facts, said Eric Sugandi, an economic observer at the Asian Development Bank Institute, who added that he was “deeply saddened by the news”.
Tony’s death was called a loss for bankers as he always offered the best analysis of the economy.
“Tony had been a very capable lecturer and columnist who could explain economic and financial issues clearly and make them easy to understand,” said Iman Nugroho Soeko, finance and treasury director of Bank Tabungan Negara.
