This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on December 25, 2017 - December 31, 2017

Robert Kuok Hock Nien

Chairman, Kerry Group Ltd

THE low-profile tycoon, who is better known as the Sugar King, is seldom in the news. It is no wonder then that when his autobiography, Robert Kuok: A Memoir, was released, it was sold out immediately and made the news in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Kuok is, after all, Malaysia’s richest person, according to Forbes. Furthermore, his family background and self-made wealth have opened doors to high places in the region, making his life story a compelling read.

The 376-page tome, written with Andrew Tanzer, devoted a whole section to Malaysia, where Kuok, 94, was born and established his sprawling business empire. Kuok writes that at a young age, he was advised by his late elder brother William that “politics and economics, and politics and business” cannot be separated. This was advice he took to heart, putting him in good stead as he manoeuvred through the tricky business and political landscape in Malaysia.

Kuok even tried to change the course of the young nation’s path when he offered his views on how the country should be run — meritocracy instead of “excessive handicapping of bumiputras” — to his old friend and soon-to-be prime minister Tun Hussein Onn. To his dismay, his only attempt at influencing the course of Malaysian history failed. Hussein told him that it would not be acceptable to the Malays.

It is not all politics as the book also dwells on his mother’s influence on his life, even in business.

The book recounts his experience working for Mitsubishi, which had a monopoly on the rice and cigarette trade in Malaya during the Japanese occupation, his venture into sugar and eventually controlling 80% of the Malaysian market, as well as the reason behind his decision to explore business opportunities in China.

Nevertheless, it is his comments on Malaysian politics that got some local politicians worked up enough to snipe at Kuok, who is now based in Hong Kong.

In reaction to the tycoon’s view that Malaysia was heading in the wrong direction, Umno Supreme Council member and MP for Kinabatangan Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin said Kuok should “share the wealth” by investing more in Malaysia instead of being critical on the state of affairs in the country.

Another Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, who is also Minister of Tourism, said the political realities in Malaysia would make Kuok’s recommendations difficult to implement.

Although the media-shy tycoon is based in Hong Kong, he still has vast business interests in Malaysia. Certainly, any developments in these businesses will be closely watched.  

Save by subscribing to us for your print and/or digital copy.

P/S: The Edge is also available on Apple's App Store and Android's Google Play.