Wahid says PNB’s finances are sound

Abdul Wahid Omar also congratulates Zeti Akhtar Aziz on being appointed to take over from him as head of Malaysia’s largest unit trust fund.

Abdul Wahid Omar is looking forward to spending time with his family after retiring as PNB group chairman. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: Abdul Wahid Omar, who retires as group chairman of Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) tomorrow, has assured that the finances of Malaysia’s largest unit trust fund are sound.

Bernama reported him as saying that the move to appoint former Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz to take over the post on July 1 would allow for a smooth and orderly transition in leadership of PNB’s board of directors.

He said it would ensure that PNB’s investments and operations were not jeopardised.

Zeti is a member of the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) to advise the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government on the economy.

“As the third chairman of PNB, I am happy to hand over my duties to Zeti at a time when PNB is and will continue to remain financially sound, while maintaining its reputation as a national institution of high integrity,” Wahid said.

“I believe Zeti and other members of the board, president and group chief executive (CE) Datuk Abdul Rahman and the top management of PNB group will continue to spearhead the group towards further success,” he added.

In a letter dated May 7, two days before the general election, Wahid had criticised PH’s plan to abolish the goods and services tax (GST).

This prompted former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, who now heads the CEP, to respond by saying PH would bring in experts to advise it if it took over Putrajaya.

Daim had also said that Wahid should stick to his job at PNB and leave running the economy to the government.

Wahid today said he was looking forward to take a break and spend some quality time with his family after 17 years of serving the nation.

He will also be retiring from his post as the trustee of the Bumiputra Investment Foundation.

“After 17 years of national service with government-linked companies, starting with the UEM-Renong Group (2001-2004), Telekom Malaysia (2004-2008), Maybank (2008-2013), Malaysian government (2013-2016) and PNB (2016-2018), I will take a short break to spend some time with my family,” he said.

PNB had announced Wahid’s retirement and Zeti’s appointment in a statement earlier today.

Congratulating Zeti, Wahid said her appointment was a continuation of PNB’s leadership tradition which comprised renowned and reputable figures known for their high integrity and capability, beginning with the late Ismail Ali, who was also BNM governor, and Ahmad Sarji, who was chief secretary to the government. -FMT