Book on Robert Kuok

Read parts of a book on Robert Kuok at Bras Basah Popular bookstore 2 weeks back. Below is list of important things he said that I managed to get from the book.

- 2 most important things in life are raising the family and improving education of future generation as it is fundamental to a nation's progress and stability

If your plan is for 1 year, plant rice. If 10 years, plant trees. If 100 years, educate the young - Confucius

- when asked why he was so eager to help china when it started opening up during the 70s he said that he cannot forget his roots which is China and for 3,000 years ordinary Chinese led miserable lives. He saw an opportunity to contribute to turn that around

(CCK note: he quoted 3,000 years instead of 5,000 often used by many because he knew there is no historical proof of the latter)

- when Hu Jin Tao visited Malaysia and he donated rm100M to build Malaysian campus of Xiamen University, some asked why. Especially since some Malay politicians had arm twisted him and taken over some of his family's businesses (like his sugar business). He said that's because he was born in and grew up in Malaysia where his family first made their fortune. He was grateful to Malaysia for that.

(CCK note: that man refused to let the plunderers and thieves that lead the country discourage him from doing good for the rest of the country)

- Deng Xiao Ping's last official meeting as premier with foreigners was with a group of oversea Chinese businessmen where he thanked them for their contributions to help develop China. In the formal group photo Robert Kuok stood next to Deng which showed the extent of the man's contribution

(CCK note: all great people remember the contributions of others and take the effort to acknowledge them openly)

- when asked what he thought of Deng, Robert said that when talking to Deng he felt like Deng was 30-40 years his senior even though Deng was 19 years older in age

- he attributed his success to his mother whose advice to him was to always conduct business ethically (he showed CCTV interviewer a poem hand written by her to that effect before she passed on. She was a well educated woman who left home to go to Malaysia to marry his father who was an uneducated man but later managed to build a successful business. Sharp woman)