Golden Land-- Sarawak
Trust is gold
After a serious thought, S M Bong has his point. Fortune always granted to the one who is prepared.
For many years my parents taught me that trust is the word for doing great business.
The last King of Sarawak was His Royal Highness Anthony Brooke. He actually ruled Sarawak in 1941 when Rajah Charles Brooke was away from sarawak. He got the official title of Rajah in the year 1964 when Vyner Brooke passed away in United Kingdom.
The king who fought for world peace and Democracy, Anthony Brooke, passed away peacefully on the 2nd of March 2011 in New Zealand.
He trusted the good nature of farmers from China, India, Indonesia, Malaya peninsula, Phillippines,Japan. Many Japanese, Europeans migrated to Sarawak for the fertile land, relatively peaceful environment as the world war was of no mercy in Europe, mainly Asia, Africa, middle East and many parts of the world. My grand father Champion Chong arrived Kuching, Sarawak in the year 1938 during king Vyner Brooke's time, then his royal highness was the Rajah Muda, literally the heir to the throne.
The officer trusted my grand father and let him circled an area of one hundred and six acres of land at the fertile land of seaside Green mountain, an area called ' Sui Tong Lu' that is the road leading to the reservoir damp built by the German engineer with brief period of first mini-hydro electricity in Sarawak. The German scientist left Sarawak during the second world war. However my grand father Champion Chong( alias Chong Kian )stayed put and produced tons and tons of rubber to match with the boom of new golden crop- Rubber. The price of rubber was the highest in history during the Korean war. Champion Chong made tons of money and then loss it eventually.
How he loss most of his fortune was a dramatic story. He was in partnership with a friend to deal with import and export business. During the crimax of second world war, Australian Royal Air force andDutch Air force frequently bombed Japanese ships and boats around borneo island. One of the cargo ship used by Champion Chong's company was told to be sunk by allied bomber on the 17th of September 1948 at 7 pm 30 kilometres north of Santubong mountain and river mouth.
The messengers from his business partner told Champion Chong that the textile and valuable goods which they invested were perished in that airforce bombing and perished in fire together with the ship. Champion was extremely calm as he always presented with with British brown wool hat, looking straight into the eyes of that messenger. The messenger dropped his head and looked at the floor. He was asked by Champion Chong to have moon cake and Kwang Yin tea as he managed to collect himself and finally sat on a rottan arm chair.
It was a cool mid autumn night with full bright moon. Champion Chong asked a few question and didnot pursue any more about the blighted fortune. Two days later, his best friend reported to him that the ship was anchored at a secret place and all the valuable good were at 32 miles Serian road. Champion thanked him and got him to dinner, then he said,
' If my partner with all my trust like gold did those to me, then I better trust the bright moon.'
He withdrew the original three thousand Reals, currency of King Brooke time, which was the amount each partner of the two agreed to start with their joint venture. There were no gain, no interest, but at least the original capital after ten years. It was told that his partner made a hudred time profit which is equavalent to three hundred thousand within that ten years. The ' good' businessman and his family continue to proper till modern era of Sarawak.
Trust is golden, peace is gold
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