Syed Mokhtar AlBukhary.

Syed Mokhtar Albukhary was the second biography I read after Tun Mahathir's.

Not as well known as other billionaires in Malaysia, Syed Mokhtar is the best product of the New Economic Model (NEM) introduced by the Government back in the 1970s for the Malaysians to share the wealth of the country equally among all races. In this book, the author uncovers all the secrets of success on how he took advantage of NEM in a true nationalist, spiritual and genius way that he is, from the 'kampung boy' to the richest Malay in Malaysia today.

He took us a ride in the business world, from rice trader, to a business mogul, owning the 3 huge groups, MMC, Tradewind and DRB Hicom, his relationship with Tun Mahathir of whom he called a mentor, his family and spiritual beliefs. He shot down the accusation that people randomly made (most Malaysians do) that he won all the projects because of cronyism, but instead he worked hard and won because he deserved it.

I would say that Syed Mokhtar is a man with principles. For whatever he did, whoever he met, he'll never go against the principles that he believed in, not even for millions of ringgit. I adore him for believing in Malaysians, the people and their products. And I hope that 1 day, majority of us will think like he did. A nationalist.

"My approach is simple. When I want to do something, I do first and talk later."

"I once heard a proverb that influenced me greatly. It tells of a seed that grows to become a tree with branches. Flowers and fruits form, and when the fruits are ripe, they become heavy, causing the branches to break and fall. The lesson for is that we must always remember the seed we come from, and be humble when blessed and share good fortune. Otherwise, we are likely to break and fall."