（吉隆坡26日訊）大馬首富兼亞洲糖王郭鶴年形容，華人是「地球上最驚人的經濟螞蟻」！
他指勤奮高效率並肯吃苦耐勞的海外華人，是對東南亞發展貢獻良多的英雄。貧窮的華人遷移至東南亞，有者走入森林從事木材、割膠、采錫或開設小店鋪，這些費力工作帶來了新經濟。
郭鶴年認為，移居華裔是天生的企業家，家在福建和廣東省的他們有著很強的企業基因，他們帶著飢餓和渴望遷移海外，也許當中有者只能赤著腳或穿背心長褲，但他們肯做任何工作，腳踏實地賺錢及尋求庇護。
「華人幫助建立東南亞，印裔也扮演重要角色，但華人是建立經濟的主力。」
《南華早報》轉載郭鶴年回憶錄，他在裡面提到，華裔企業家有效率並精打細算，當他們尋求外國資源，也懂得討價還價，比任何人都更勤奮及願意吃苦：「華人可說是地球上最驚人的經濟螞蟻」。
海外華裔沒「仙女」幫忙
他指英國人雖然是良好行政者，但大部分者卻舒服地坐在辦公室內。
郭鶴年形容，海外華人並沒有「仙女」幫忙，縱使面對不公待遇卻仍能發奮圖強，在同一環境中比其他族群賺更多利潤。
他指大部分海外華人都有道德操守及推行公平競爭，華人身無分文時，願意做任何事獲取種子資本，再努力超越過去，成為具備道德聲譽的商人。
郭鶴年提到自己曾目睹各國如美國、英國、法國、德國、日本、韓國等政府，都樂意資助和補貼商家，讓他們到海外競爭，然而這些援助只有在其夢中出現。
1924年郭鶴年母親鄭格如（右二）及與家人的生活照。
華裔「帶眼識人」無關學歷
郭鶴年說，與日本人相比，無論有無受過教育的華人都懂得「帶眼識人」。
「日本人也很忠誠，但那是不嚴苛，武士道的忠誠，縱使他們的老大討人厭，他們也會表示忠誠。」
在郭鶴年眼中，無論受過高等教育與否，每個華人都具有批判性，因為在每個華人村莊或社群，道德價值都已列入家教中。
他認為華人懂很多，縱使以前在中國只是住在小村莊，來到陌生的東南亞卻能快速學會各新事物。
「看看香港成功企業家，如李嘉誠、鄭裕彤、李兆基或已故郭德勝，他們都是從經驗中成才，當中沒有一個人念過大學。」
郭鶴年（前左起）和已故新加坡建國之父李光耀。坐者右為郭鶴年太太何寶蓮。後右起為幼兒郭孔華、女兒郭惠光及次子郭孔演(左）。
華人有道德成優勢
在郭鶴年眼中，華人骨子裡藏著強大的中華文化優勢，即華人深諳道德價值，了解黑白對錯。
「我記得我父親也曾是苦力，扛米袋賺錢後往往滿身汗臭，衣服從沒好好洗過，也沒能力用香皂洗澡，但他們是好人，懂道德價值觀。
「當年3或4歲的我，偶爾會坐在其腿上，聽他們講舊時在中國生活的故事，回想這些，我會說他們都非常有文化。」
郭鶴年也提到，華人在東南亞常被苛待及被人瞧不起：「當你去到馬來西亞、蘇門答臘或爪哇，當地人都會以貶低的方式叫你『Chee-na』。」
華人擅經商管理
他說，華人有絕佳的經商管理，這在他70年的企業生涯中從未見過任何人可媲美。
他指華裔雖然不至於如歐美大亨般掌握巨大財富，卻可在環境欠友善的東南亞闖出一片天。
「比起比爾蓋茲或沃倫巴菲特，（華裔財富）當然是小巫見大巫，但美國人在全球最大經濟體運作，受政治和經濟穩定、強大司法制度和健全體制呵護。身處東南亞的海外華人則在相對不友善的環境生存，他們在缺乏國家、政治和金融援助下仍繁榮崛起。」
放任華人會毀國
郭鶴年說，海外華人企業家有助發展國家，但部分華人也可變成壞蛋並毀掉國家，因此必須落實嚴謹的監督機制，提供自由經商環境之餘，也嚴懲違例者。
「誠實的華人可幫助國家，不老實的就會被淘汰。」
他指自己早年到印尼出席策略研究會議時，曾向時任總統蘇哈多的團隊建議善用華人企業家力量發展國家，但也警告指部分華人可變身「大壞蛋」，國家需擬定監督機制，避免華人騙子毀了國家。
他遺憾地說，大部分國家都沒聽取其警告，後來看見一些不擇手段的華人毀了東南亞許多地方。
「正因領袖軟弱無能，若領袖夠強，惡魔自然退後。新加坡也曾出現華裔壞蛋，但都被（新加坡已故建國總理）李光耀剔除了，新加坡善用海外華人力量，看看他們今天有多大的成就！」
Robert Kuok: Chinese the dominant force to build Southeast Asia
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s richest man Robert Kuok has credited the Chinese for building up modern Southeast Asia after European colonisation opened the region for employment and business opportunities.
The 94-year-old, who now resides in Hong Kong said this was despite the Chinese often being maltreated and looked down upon.
「Whether you go to Malaysia, Sumatra or Java, the locals call you Cina – pronounced Chee-na – in a derogatory way,」 he said in an excerpt from a new book titled 「Robert Kuok, A Memoir」.
The excerpt was published in the South China Morning Post today as part of its serialisation featuring various parts of the book.
Kuok said as the Europeans brought a semblance of law and order to the region, and opened up rubber, mining and trading operations, millions of Chinese ventured south in a 「tsunami of human migration.」
「It was the Chinese who helped build up Southeast Asia. The Indians also played a big role, but the Chinese were the dominant force in helping to build the economy,」 said Kuok, whose net worth was reported to be US$11.4 billion (RM50 billion) by Forbes magazine in March.
Kuok recalled a brainstorming seminar he attended in Jakarta arranged by Indonesia’s Centre for Strategic and International Studies under the new rule of president Suharto who took power in 1967.
He said among the thirty people around an oval table were Ghazali Shafie from Malaysia and Devan Nair from Singapore who would later become its president.
He said he had urged those gathered there to use the overseas Chinese to build the economy.
He differed with stands that Indonesia should bring in multinationals from the world to bring up the nation.
He told the seminar, which he later found was being recorded, that the Chinese were entrepreneurs blessed with business brains, though many of them lacked financial backing.
Kuok however added that he also warned about the need for watchdog institutions with bite, which later went unheeded by Indonesia and most other countries in the region.
「The decent Chinese have helped to build up Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, and made these countries what they are today,」 he said.
「But you also had the rise of the unscrupulous and ruthless Chinese, who in turn have devastated many parts of Southeast Asia.」
He said they were allowed to 「wreak havoc」 because national leaderships were weak.
「Singapore had the same number of Chinese crooks, but you try and find one today. They are all hidden, camouflaged, or dormant,」 he said.
「The crooks were held on steel leashes by two hands: Lee Kuan Yew’s left hand and Lee Kuan Yew’s right hand. With the unsavoury elements under control, look what Singapore has been able to accomplish by harnessing the energies of the overseas Chinese,」 he said.