Baird calls Indonesia second home<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
After completing his tenure as the World Bank's country
\ndirector for Indonesia, Mark Baird, 53, now enters his retirement
\nand is heading for his homeland, New Zealand.<\/p>\n
But his passion for Indonesia will always stay aflame.
\nIndonesia only comes second after New Zealand for him, according
\nto a close staff member.<\/p>\n
He first came here as the bank's lead economist in the 1980s,
\nbut his first experience with Indonesia was so impressive that he
\nwas eager ever since to return to the country.<\/p>\n
And when the chance came in early 1999, at the peak of the
\neconomic crisis, he only needed seconds to accept the offer --
\nthis time as the bank's country director -- to come to the
\ncountry. It happened at the time when most foreigners would have
\nopted to shy away from Indonesia, because of the nation's deep
\nsuffering from the crisis.<\/p>\n
In fact, his feeling for Indonesia is such that he always
\nwanted to end his career here before returning home. "I've always
\nwanted Indonesia to be my last assignment before retiring," Baird
\ntold The Jakarta Post recently in an interview.<\/p>\n
In total, he has worked in Indonesia for more than six years.<\/p>\n
Baird was the World Bank lead economist in Indonesia between
\n1986-1989, almost 12 years since he first joined the bank. Aside
\nfrom Indonesia, he has also worked as the Bank's country
\neconomist for India, Tanzania and Uganda.<\/p>\n
And after a brief term in his home country, where he worked as
\nan economic advisor to the New Zealand Treasury, he returned to
\nthe Bank and was appointed as the Division Chief for Country
\nPolicy, Industry and Finance in the Bank's Operations Evaluations
\nDepartment. He was the Vice President of Strategy and Resource
\nManagement before taking up his second assignment in Indonesia in
\nApril 1999.<\/p>\n
The abundant experience has proved helpful for him to
\ncomprehend the complex problems Indonesia was facing. And he is
\nnow considered as one among a few who have a deep knowledge about
\nthe country's economic development.<\/p>\n
For the last three years or so, he had led the Bank's mission
\nin the country of fighting poverty, which has been on the rise
\ndue to the economic crisis, and instilling hopes for better
\nfuture after the crisis.<\/p>\n
People who are close to him are impressed with the way he has
\ncarried out his job.<\/p>\n
"His leadership of our program and contribution to our
\nconstructive relationship with the Indonesian government and
\ncivil society, as well as the donor community, has been
\noutstanding in every respect.<\/p>\n
"It was his ability to combine strategic thinking with
\noperational pragmatism which made him so effective and his advice
\nso highly valued. Baird is well known to our clients and partners
\nas one of the best people we have in the bank," his college Jim
\nWolfensohn said.<\/p>\n
Under Baird's leadership, the World Bank office in Indonesia
\nfocused on poverty reduction and disbursed an average US$310
\nmillion aid per year for the program.<\/p>\n
The latest figure states that about 13 percent of the
\npopulation is now below the poverty line, less then half the peak
\nlevels recorded during the crisis.<\/p>\n
Baird has said, despite the impact of the crisis, Indonesia's
\nrecord on poverty reduction over the past 30 years remains one of
\nthe best in the world.<\/p>\n
During his tenure, Baird was also praised for helping the
\ngovernment preserve a good relationship with donor countries,
\ngrouped in the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI), where the
\nWorld Bank is a major member.<\/p>\n
Thanks to these good relations, donor countries maintain their
\nvote of confidence in Indonesia despite its economic, social and
\npolitical problems and were eager to continue providing loans for
\nthe country.<\/p>\n
Last year, the CGI pledged $3.14 billion in loans and $568
\nmillion in grants and technical aid to help cover Indonesia's
\nbudget deficit. Some $1.3 billion of the amount are is tied to
\nIndonesia's performance in poverty reduction and good governance.<\/p>\n
Baird might be very busy with his job, but he still had time
\nfor his wife Kathleen and two daughters.<\/p>\n
He has never let the pressure of job ruin his reputation as a
\nfamily man, according to his staff.<\/p>\n
In his spare time, Baird with his wife and daughters usually
\nplayed tennis or squash or at times jogged nearby the family's
\nresidence, according to a staff member.<\/p>\n
Traveling across the country, both on official and unofficial
\nvisits, was also something Baird loved to do. North Sumatra's
\nexotic Lake Toba and the famous Bromo mountain in East Java are
\namong his favorite places. Those places, his staff said, should
\nkeep the memory of his Indonesia stay on Baird's mind.<\/p>\n
Baird regretted the lack of chances to visit more places in
\nthe country given his busy schedule, his staff said.<\/p>\n
Now that he has retired, Baird will have more time for his
\nfamily and to do things he has long wished to do.<\/p>\n
"We're returning to the New Zealand, the first task is of
\ncourse to find a house, and then we'll establish a studio for my
\nwife and myself, and will probably do some gardening and
\nfishing."<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, although the decision to retire had been taken,
\nhe hinted that he would probably be tempted get back to the work
\nhe was committed to. "I hope I'll be able to continue to work on
\ndevelopment with the bank, or other development agencies as a
\nconsultant. I'm very much committed to this work."<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/baird-calls-indonesia-second-home-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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