The architectural concept of Sasana Kijang is also inspired from our earliest form of currency that was used in the third century and which denotes a harmony of simplicity and class. And the facade design of the building is derived from the geometric patterns of the traditional Malaysian songket fabric which is woven with intricate gold and silver threads which creates a strong bond, thus giving the fabric its strength and elegance. This is similar to the Central Banking community that is interlinked through our similar objectives and bonded through collaboration and strategic alliances. Other features of the building is the extensive use of glass which allows for the greater use of natural light. The building also features a range of green technologies as part of our commitment and responsibility to the environment. Finally, another important part of Sasana Kijang is the Bank Negara Malaysia Currency and Economics Museum and the Art Gallery that will be opened to the public. These collections that have been built since the earliest days of our Bank over a period of more than five  BIS central bankers’ speeches  1  decades aim to foster greater understanding on the history of our currencies and of our economy and financial system, and also represents our support to contemporary art in Malaysia and thus contribute towards preserving the heritage of our country. Allow me now to invite Yang Amat Berhormat, Dato’ Sri Mohd. Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak to deliver his address and to officially launch Sasana Kijang.
It involves in effect aiming to keep overall, aggregate demand in the economy (as a whole) more or less continuously in line with the underlying overall capacity of the economy (as a whole) to BIS Review 7/1999  –2–  meet that demand. Effective price stability is essentially a measure of our success in achieving economic stability in that much broader sense. It is a limited role. Neither we nor the ECB can do very much directly to affect the underlying supply side of the economy which depends upon its structural characteristics, and above all, in today’s world, on the efficiency and flexibility of goods, capital and labour markets. Monetary policy cannot substitute for supply-side reform, but by maintaining price stability we can, indirectly, help markets to function more effectively. Nor can either the MPC or the ECB do much directly to influence the pressures on particular firms or particular sectors or regions of the economy; we and they can only influence the monetary situation in the economy of our respective currency areas, as a whole. We have essentially one instrument: the short-term interest rate. But, again, if we are successful in achieving overall stability, that will also contribute over time to a more rather than less favourable operating environment for the different component parts of the economy. But that is the most that either we in the MPC or the Governing Council of the ECB can hope to do.