Nine "experts" join economic advisory council

It is reported that nine "experts" have been appointed to the Economic Advisory Council which is chaired by Tan Sri Amirsham Abdul Aziz.

They are:

• Universiti Sains Malaysia vice-chancellor Prof Tan Sri Dzulkifli Abdul Razak,

• Economic council member and former Bank Negara chief economist Datuk Andrew Sheng,

• Economic council member and former World Bank consultant Datuk Dr Zainal Aznam Mohd Yusof,

• National Implementation Task Force adviser Datuk Dr Hamzah Kassim,

• Corporate adviser Datuk Nicholas S. Zefferys,
  

• Institute of Strategic and International Studies director-general Dr Mahani Zainal Abidin,
  

• World Bank and Asian Development Bank senior adviser Dr Yukon Huang,
  

• World Bank east asian regional chief economist Dr Homi J. Kharas, and
  

• London School of Economics economics department head Prof Dr Danny Quah.

Universiti Malaya economics dean Prof Dr Norma Mansor has also been appointed as the council’s secretary-general.

I'm certain that these people would not have the gumption or gall to call themselves "experts". given the strange and uncharted territory that economies all over have descended into involving scenarios that have sorely tested conventional Keynesian-type wisdom. and, is likely to force major re-drafting of economics textbooks in years to come. No, that moniker was given by the Press.

Were it otherwise, I would have been compelled to recall the definition of "expert" that was given by an academic in Australia some years ago to the effect that "ex" meant something past while "spurt" had a phonetical connotation of liquefied matter, organic or otherwise, ejaculating from a spout or like cavity.

Well, it's a Friday and I must be forgiven for being a trite digressive and mildly naughty.

After all, the leader of the land has just been graded by a former leader of the land with the remark that "So far, the negatives are more than the positives".