Jack Ma, Ho Ching: Greatness from simplicity
True greatness doesn’t come only from political power or billion-dollar fortunes but from the power of humility, positive moral values, and an inspiring example. I was reminded of this truth with the recent Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Manila, where I discovered that some of the greatest people on earth are, indeed, also among the simplest and humblest.
The most inspiring self-made man who dreamt & never gave up
On the last day of the APEC CEO Summit, I asked Indonesian business delegate, my former Beijing University (Peking University) economics short course classmate and mining businessman Burhan “Tim” Tadjudin, who, among all the speakers, impressed him the most. Tim replied, “Jack Ma.”
How many of us know that the richest person in China grew up poor, failed his college entrance exam twice (but he never gave up!) and was rejected from dozens of job applications, including KFC, before succeeding with his third Internet company, Alibaba. This tycoon looks more like a scrawny and overworked new immigrant trader in Manila’s 168 Mall.
Not only did Alibaba taipan Jack Ma inspire business leaders of the 21- member economies of APEC, US President Barack Obama also breached protocol and tradition to act as moderator in order to interview Ma. Even President Noynoy Aquino’s unofficial First Lady Kris Aquino posted an Instagram photo of herself with Jack Ma, accompanied with a Forbes magazine cover story on this extraordinary tech visionary and philanthropist.
Jack Ma, the idealistic former poor guy from ancient Hangzhou City, said in his APEC speech: “There are about more than 10 million businesses today in China that try to sell, try to do their business online... People sitting here, mostly we are from the Fortune 500, we only have 500 companies that are able to be here, but I hope in the next 10, 20 years later, the small guys ... they will be big in the future and they will be the people standing here speaking, and most people will listen.”
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One of world’s most powerful yet humble women, her views on paris attacks
After the Nov. 19 luncheon for APEC first ladies hosted by President Noynoy Aquino’s sisters, led by TV host and actress Kris Aquino, in Intramuros, I asked one of the guests, Regal Films founder Mother Lily Yu Monteverde, who impressed her the most. She replied, “The late Singapore leader Lee Kuan Yew’s daughter-in-law. She was so humble and simple, she looked well despite seeming to have gotten her elegant attire from Divisoria. I read in your column last week that she graduated from Stanford, what did she study?”
I told Mother Lily that Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s First Lady Madame Ho Ching earned her master’s degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University. She became CEO of Temasek Holdings in 2004, transforming this state-owned investment company from a Singapore-focused firm into an active investor all over Asia and the world with a vast net portfolio of over US$177 billion, which includes equity in Globe Telecom major shareholder SingTel. Madame Ho has also been repeatedly ranked by Western media among “the world’s most powerful women.”
Few people know that the powerful yet very humble and media-shy Ho few is the major patron of Assisi Hospice and has interests in “special needs education, healthcare, and the welfare and development of children.” She is active on Facebook and likes photography.
Recently, when some netizens criticized people for expressing sadness over the terrorist attacks in Paris, but ignoring the terrorist attacks in Beirut or China’s Muslim area of Xinjiang, Ho Ching posted on her Facebook account: “Millions and tens of millions of people from around the world have been to Paris, and love the time they spent there — the sunny serenity, the history, the food, the people, the culture, the cafe and the walk around. Many millions around the world would have friends or people they know working or living in Paris. And so it is natural that they are shocked by the terrorist attacks — it is a city where they have had wonderful memories, or have friends or colleagues, and may have visited repeatedly for work or leisure. Many millions more would be tracking their loved ones, friends and colleagues, who may be there, or going there. So it is natural that phone lines, emails, and social media lit up as people around the world would try to check immediately if their families, friends or colleagues may be in Paris or they are safe in Paris. Much, much fewer visitors have been to Lebanon or, for that matter, to Ankara in Turkey, Urumqi in China, or Nigeria, so fewer people have memories of these places or people. At any one time, the number of visitors would be several orders of magnitude less with fewer dots to connect to the rest of the world.
Hence, news of terrorist attacks there don’t evoke the same sense of shock or personal responses. So, even as we say our prayers for the victims of senseless killings, or pause to send our condolences to the families of the victims of terrorist murderers, we must know this is not about whether Parisien lives are worth more than others.”
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