Young tycoon puts politics before money
The son of a poultry farmer, Tony Puah Kiam Wee studied at Oxford, founded a computer software company at 25, made his first million at 30, then took his software firm public.
Now for the real surprise. At 35, Mr Puah has shocked his family and friends by turning his back on business and plunging into Malaysian politics.
Instead of making more millions and migrating, like so many of his colleagues, Mr Puah sold up in December and in January joined the opposition Chinese-based Democratic Action Party (DAP) as an economic adviser.
With his education and proven financial success he is the darling of the party and a rising star. He is aiming to spur a new generation of Malaysian youth, especially ethnic Chinese, to shake off their indifference and get political.
'I have already made my millions and making more millions is simply boring ... politics is in my blood,' Mr Puah said at his former corporate office.
Born in Batu Pahat, a small town in Johore state, Mr Puah learned his politics from talking to his father and from attending political rallies.
'I always wanted to be a political leader ... even the prime minister one day. My time has come,' he said, showing his confidence in being able to make his mark.
'I feel life had been too good to me all this while and it is time to give back.'
Mr Puah studied at top schools in Malaysia and in Singapore and later went to Oxford University in England where he studied politics, philosophy and economics, graduating in 1994. 'It was all on scholarship,' he said, with a grin.
He worked as a consultant for multinational firms before founding his own company - Cyber Village Ltd, an IT and software company, in 1997. He listed it in Singapore in 2004.
Then last year a friend arranged a lunch with a veteran politician. 'The same day I decided I had had enough of business success and decided to pursue my first love - politics.'
Mr Puah retired from business.
'It is time to give back. From now on it is politics and social work for me,' he said.
For starters, he has opened a DAP service centre in the upper-class Damansara, a satellite town of Kuala Lumpur, and has gathered a dozen like-minded, technology oriented professionals as volunteers. He holds weekly forums to attract new blood to the party.
'My immediate priority is to give intellectual depth to party policies. When we criticise policies it must be biting and backed by facts,' he said.
Mr Puah admits it is not easy to convince young Chinese in Malaysia, who are more interested in business or migrating, to take to opposition politics.
'They are put off by pro-Malay policies. They feel they are second-class citizens and they are also afraid of a government backlash,' he said. 'They are alienated ... I challenge them to stay, fight and change things.'
His involvement is a shot in the arm for the DAP, whose leadership is alienated from the younger generation. However, he might be rising too fast for his own good, one political analyst said.
'He is a political greenhorn and our politics is a racial and religious minefield ... it is unforgiving,' said the university academic.
'Even a wrong word can end a promising career.'
But Mr Puah says he is against confrontational politics - and besides he has veteran party leaders to keep him in check.
'I believe in dialogue not confrontation,' he said. 'We need to engage the majority Malays on sensitive issues like official discrimination and rising Islam.' He is keen to contest the next general election, widely expected this year.
'I want to help make this country into a better place for all races.'
