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FROM rubber, timber and sugar to property, construction, gaming, hotels, auto, textiles and jewellery, Malaysia's richest business families are in them all, and more.
Except for a few, most of them started on a humble note more than five decades ago. With hard work, a bit of luck - and probably some first-mover advantage too - they grew and grew and now enjoy pride of place in the nation's corporate scene.
But going on the expansion path has also meant having to go public. While this has entailed opening up the family business to outsiders, the infusion of new capital also enabled them to enjoy renewed levels of growth.
Who does not know these pioneering doyens of Malaysian business? Although some have retired or passed on, they and the companies they built remain institutions that continue to contribute to the nation's progress.
Among names that come readily to mind are `Sugar King' Robert Kok Hock Nien of the Kuok Group, Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong of Genting Group, the late Tan Sri Loh Boon Siew of Oriental Group, Tan Sri Yeoh Tiong Lay of YTL Group, Tan Sri Mustapha Kamal Abu Bakar of MK Land Holdings, Tan Sri Abu Sahid Mohamed of Maju Holdings and Tan Sri Shamsuddin Abdul Kadir of Sapura Group. Also well known are Kamdar and Habib Jewels. They are all featured in Dynasty.
SWEET SUCCESS FOR `SUGAR KING'
The Kuok Group grew from a family trading business in the 1920s to a multinational powerhouse with interests in hotels, property, manufacturing, shipping, air transport, media, plantations & mills, insurance and infrastructure, among others.
Malaysia's richest man in the Malaysian Business Top 40 ranking for many years now, Robert Kuok's reach extends from his main base of China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia to Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines and the Netherlands, while his hotel chain straddles the globe.
Now in his early 80s, Robert Kuok remains active in the group, which traces its origins to his Chinese-immigrant father Kuok Keng Kang, who in the early years established trading company Tong Seng & Co to distribute rice, sugar and flour. Upon his death in 1948, Robert formed Kuok Brothers Ltd to take over most of Tong Seng's operations.
Robert Kuok got...