The Health | january, 2019
22
Exclusive
Rising
from
poverty
to a
revered
tycoon
The success story of
Professor Tan Sri Dato’
Paduka Dr Fhg Ah Seng
If you are
appreciative and be
trustworthy, don’t
lie or cheat, be loyal
and never criticise
people behind
their back, sincere,
kind, courteous,
intelligent and wise,
respect your parents
as well as older
people – then you’re
unique.”
by Nurul Ain huda Abdullah
“I
f you are not living on the edge, then
you have not comprehended the real
meaning of life.” Those were the words
that captured my attention as I flipped
through ‘The Unique Adventurous
Tycoon’ –one of the many books that
were penned by Professor Tan Sri Dato’
Paduka Dr Fng Ah Seng himself.
A billionaire with a thirst for speed and adventure
today, was one who had built his empire by setting his
goals high even as a child. An accomplished housing
developer who operates in more than eight states in
Malaysia with close to 400 employees, with two master
degrees and two PhD, he revealed that he wasn’t one
that was raised with a silver spoon.
“I grew up in a very poor family and my parents
divorced when I was nine years old. There were three of
us – my older sister, myself and a younger sister. Being
short of food was a norm then. Although this was the
case, my mother would frequently remind me that
education is the shortest distance between poverty and
success, and hard work is the best Feng Shui. As long
as you work harder – you’ll be rewarded. There are no
other secrets and no other shortcuts.”
“So, the only way to change my fate was by working
harder than the rest. When people were asleep - I was
working, others worked eight hours – I worked 12
hours.”
Although Fng was the only one who didn’t get a
pre-school education, he managed to perform well in
primary school despite holding a few part time jobs.
Working in coffee shops and jumping into the river
to collect dry coconuts did not deter him either from
obtaining a scholarship after high school.
“At that time, my ambition was to be an army officer
and a jet pilot. In high-school, I was an army cadet, and
right after Form 5, I was offered a place in the Malaysia
Royal Military College as a cadet officer. However, due
to the numerous crashes that happened during that
time, mother wasn’t too pleased of the idea.”
“So, I borrowed RM3,000 from my relatives,
bought a one way ticket and went to the United States
to pursue a degree in Civil Engineering. But life was
not a bed of roses as I was short on funds. So, again,
I worked in multiple places – convenient stores,
restaurants, hospital – cleaning out dead bodies and
hotels.”
Graduating with a Bachelor Degree in Civil Engi-
neering from University of Houston, Texas, United
States of America, he then progressed to a Master’s in
Business Administration from Australian Institute of
Business, Adelaide, Australia.
Building not just a career but a future
Wanting more than just a career, Fng knew that
the only way to be wealthy is to become a housing
developer.
“It is everyone’s dream to purchase a house. To me, I
choose to be in the housing industry as I wanted to be
someone who could attract and find a lot of resources
so that I could do things my way. Without enough
resources, everything is just a dream. My goal was
crystal clear when I was young, and I’ve never swerved
my mind all these years.”
In 1993, Fng returned to Malaysia and soon started
working with a contractor and later in a developer’s
firm to acquire the knowledge from both the construc-
tion as well as in housing development.
Howbeit, the economy downturn in 1997 took a toll
on his career – leaving him temporarily unemployed
for six months. Nevertheless, his decision to leave
for Singapore was haltered at a farewell dinner, when
a landowner who was suffering from brain tumour
gave him a chance to develop his land at an initial
payment of RM20,000 with subsequent payment as
construction progresses as Fng couldn’t afford to pay
him RM200,000 lump sum.
“Although I knew then that someday I would be
an entrepreneur, little did I expect to be on my own
so fast! At that moment, I quickly ran to my car, got
a piece of paper, wrote down all the conditions, and