Ramon Navaratnam (born January 1935) is a Malaysian

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

. He is the former Secretary-General of the Malaysian Ministry of Transport, and is currently the corporate advisor of

Sunway Group Sunway Group (, zh, 双威集团) is a Malaysian conglomerate. It is headquartered at Sunway City, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. History The Sunway Group commenced operations in 1986, primarily focused on the development of Bandar S ...

. He is of

Sri Lankan Tamil Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, form the plurality in the Eastern Province a ...

descent.

Biography

Navaratnam was a member of the Malaysian Institute of Management (MIM), the National Economic Action Council (NEAC) and the former president of Transparency International Malaysia. He is currently the Director of the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI) and the Chairman of the Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS). He completed his secondary studies at

Victoria Institution The Victoria Institution is the oldest secondary school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is a memorial school, so-called because it was partly funded by public subscription intended for the erection of a permanent memorial to commemorate the Golden ...

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

, and won a partial scholarship to the

University of Malaya The Universiti Malaya (lit 'University of Malaya'; abbreviated UM) is a public university, public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest Malaysian institution of higher education, and was the only university in ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, where he pursued a degree in Economics in 1959. After graduation, he began working as Assistant Secretary in the Health and Social Welfare Ministry. In 1969, he went on to earn a master's degree in Public Administration at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, on a full university scholarship. He was at the time employed in the Economic Division of the Treasury and, upon returning, rejoined it. Shortly after, he became its deputy head. In 1971 and 1972, he was selected to represent

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

as alternate executive director in the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

in Washington DC. His post required him to travel to South-East Asian countries, where he helped to brief officials on developments in World Bank policies and the progress of their applications for loans. Navaratnam became Deputy Secretary-General of the

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfoli ...

in 1979. In 1985 he became the first government representative on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (now

Bursa Malaysia Bursa Malaysia (English: Malaysian Bourses or Malaysia Exchange) is the stock exchange in Malaysia. It is one of the largest bourses in ASEAN. It is based in Kuala Lumpur and was previously known as the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE). It p ...

) Executive Committee. He became Secretary-General of the Transport Ministry in 1986. In 1989 he became a member of the National Development Planning Committee, after which he left government service to join Bank Buruh (M) Bhd as executive director and chief executive officer. From 1994 - 1995 he was executive vice-chairman of the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute in

. At this time, he was also appointed group corporate adviser to the Sunway Group, a post he still holds. In 1996 he was appointed executive director of

Sunway College Sunway College is a private college based in Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. It was established on 25 July 1987 by Jeffrey Cheah. It has a 10-hectare (24 acre) campus comprising academic and residential blocks adjacent to the Su ...

, and from 1997 - 1998 he was a member of the Special Education Committee in the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

. From 1999 to 2000 he was a member of the National Economic Consultative Council. In 2000 he was also awarded an

Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

of Laws by

Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University (OBU; formerly known as Oxford Polytechnic) is a public university, public university in Oxford, England. It is a new university, having received university status through the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. Th ...

, Britain. He joined the National Unity Advisory Panel, of which he is still a member. In 2002 he joined the National Economic Action Council, and in 2004 became a member of the National Higher Education Council. In 2007 he was appointed as an advisor to Enterprise Asia, an NGO based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Honour

* : **

Officer of the

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace of God-Defender of the Realm). The o ...

(K.M.N.) (1974) ** Companion of the

(J.M.N.) (1979) ** Order_of_Loyalty_to_the_Crown_of_Malaysia_-_PSM

Commander of the

Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted on 15 April 1966 and gazetted on 30 June 1966 ...

(P.S.M.) - Tan Sri (1989)

Books

Navaratnam is also an author of several books on the Malaysian economic development, as well as his memoirs: * 1997 - ''Managing the Malaysian Economy'' (). * 1998 - ''Strengthening the Malaysian Economy''. * 1999 - ''Healing the Wounded Tiger: How the Turmoil Is Reshaping Malaysia''. * 2000 - ''Malaysia's Economic Recovery''. Ramon * 2002 - ''Malaysia's Economic Sustainability'' * 2003 - ''Malaysia's Economic Challenges''. * 2004 - ''Malaysia's Socio-economic Challenges - Winds of Change'' * 2005 - ''My Life and Times: A Memoir''.

References

Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam
{{DEFAULTSORT:Navaratnam, Ramon Malaysian people of Indian descent Malaysian people of Sri Lankan Tamil descent Harvard Kennedy School alumni Malaysian people of Tamil descent Living people Malaysian economists University of Malaya alumni Sunway Group 1935 births Officers of the Order of the Defender of the Realm Companions of the Order of the Defender of the Realm Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia