WRITING books in Malaysia is a risky business. Either your books get banned or some deranged person will call you all kinds of crude names even before they turn the last page of your book.

In one famous case, a Muslim university lecturer claimed that when he read Hannah Yeoh’s autobiography, he could have been drawn to Christianity. Such is the situation in Malaysia, when the words, cartoons or stories from a book can be turned into political fodder.

Malaysia has become a society full of sick people. Sometimes I wonder if we have the medicinal or spiritual cure for these kinds of ills.

If we don’t like what we see or hear, we are told by our leaders to leave the country and give up our citizenship. You can also be challenged to a fist fight or dared to contest in an election even if you are already in your 90’s.

Toxic Muslim preacher and wanted fugitive Zakir Naik are more revered than Malaysians who contributed to the success of country, and even given permanent residence.

The recent Robert Kuok controversy started when a pro-Umno blogger accused him of having given money to the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP). Like many of this blogger’s concoctions, there was no proof offered – just wild accusations. Since then all hell broke loose over Kuok’s alleged sin.

Donations are nothing new to Malaysia. Some people claimed that they received billions from Arab donors and hide through complicated layers of offshore accounts.

Kuok did not hide about political donation in his book. He said, ‘I was often asked to give substantial donations to the ruling parties, Umno and MCA, after independence in 1957. I gave willingly, happily and freely”.

Despite denial by all parties named, some saw an opportunity to gain political mileage by disparaging Kuok, the 96th richest man in the world according to Forbes 2018 Billionaires list.

Prime Minister Najib Razak also slipped into the debacle. He said that the key to Kuok becoming the rice and sugar king in Malaysia was given to him by the ruling government.

Kuok is driven, hard-working, industrious and disciplined – but that is not enough, according to Najib. Everyone still needs the key.

However, even if you are given the key, it all depends on what you do with the key. There are bumiputras who got APs (import car permits) and sell it for a quick buck, while some borrow millions for cattle farming and end up buying properties. Some are appointed Chairman of land agencies and end up buying hotels instead of plantation land.

Some Bumiputra elites are also given keys – a different type of keys called cronyism. Kuok in his book says, “Cronyism is different. Cronies are lapdogs who polish a leader’s ego. In return, the leader hands out national favours to them. A nation’s assets, project or business should never be for anyone to handout, neither king nor a Prime Minister”.

Bumiputras can learn a lot from Kuok. Honour before profits, learning from others, building network and connections, being humble but firm, filial piety, and listening and learning are some of the life lessons gleaned from his book. Apart from the licenses, there are no extra advantages gained by Kuok.

In some cases he was not the only one given licenses for rice and sugar – he had to compete like the rest.

Kuok was not born with a golden spoon in his mouth unlike some of the political elites in Malaysia. At times, there was not enough food on the table. He was bullied during the colonial era and endured the harsh Japanese occupation, and managed to survive and adapt to the changing circumstances.

Many Bumiputras who are given keys in different forms by the government are still dependent on the government for handouts, be it overseas scholarships, seed funding, subsidised housing, special assistance, and skills training. Many have failed to climb the ladder of success despite their advantage over other races.

In November 2013, Minister Nancy Shukri said poor Bumiputeras will resort to theft in her defence of the government’s move to reintroduce a race-preferential economic policy that has drawn the ire of Malaysia’s minority communities. She told a public forum on international covenants organised by the Malaysian Bar that the Bumiputeras Economic Empowerment Policy was needed to help fix the unequal wealth distribution among the races.

After 54 years in Malaysia, the government is still giving out free crutches to Bumiputeras, hoping they will learn to walk without assistance one day.

When we can learn much from people like Kuok, we call them all kinds of derogatory names.

Kuok used the key given by the government to climb up the corporate ladder, employ thousands of Malaysians and gave them company shares as a reward for their contributions, poured money back to the economy to regenerate more wealth for the nation, and donated money to charitable causes through his foundation.

Some people use their big mouth to make them appear invincible and strong to deceive others; some remain humble and quiet and bid his time.

The saddest thing is the ruling party leadership did not come out strongly to defend Kuok who has contributed much to the Malaysian economy. But then, that is to be expected.

In the final chapter of his book Kuok said “The Laws of morality are as sure and powerful as the natural law of gravity. Under the Universal law, you reap what you sow. When you violate fairness and true justice, it will come back to haunt you”. – March 14, 2018.

* Joe Samad has wide experience working for international companies and government GLC. He is interested in new technology applications in a shared economy and issues affecting the nation,  sharing his worldview across various media platforms.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.