TO KEEP

Or does he ever go shopping at all? Does he ever go out incognito like the late Penang billionaire Tan Sri Loh Boon Siew, who sat in a coffeeshop in Hutton Lane every day to watch the world go by?

With that kind of money, he may wake up one morning in Hong Kong and say he wants to have breakfast in Tokyo.

Still, weak ringgit or no, 12 Malaysians made it to latest annual ranking.

Others in the list include Hong Leong Group founder Tan Sri Quek Leng Chan (ranked 202, net worth: US$6.8 billion or about RM30 billion), multi-clustered businessman Tan Sri T. Ananda Krishnan (219, RM28.7 billion), IOI Group executive chairman Tan Sri Lee Shin Cheng (348, RM20.8 billion), Public Bank chairman Tan Sri Teh Hong Piow (348, RM20.8 billion), Hap Seng owner Tan Sri Lau Cho Kun (973, RM9.3 billion), YTL Corp founder Tan Sri Yeoh Tiong Lay (973, RM9.3 billion), Rimbunan Hijau Group founder Tan Sri Tiong Hew King (1,030, RM8.8 billion), diversified businessman Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary (1,161, RM8 billion), gaming tycoon Tan Sri Dr Chen Lip Keong (1,290, RM7 billion), Hartalega executive chairman Kuan Kam Hon (1,940, RM4.4 billion) and WCT Holdings executive chairman Tan Sri Desmond Lim Siew Choon (1,940, RM4.4 billion).

Their combined assets exceed RM202 billion.

To give a better perspective of how wealthy they are, Petronas’ after-tax profit was RM23.5 billion for the financial year ended Dec 31 last year, from RM20.9 billion in 2015. Group revenue fell 17 per cent to RM204.9 billion from RM247.7 billion in 2015.

The proposed high-speed railway between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore is estimated to cost about RM43 billion. The railway will be about 350km-long and the travel time will be 90 minutes.

The project will require the construction of a brand new line with dedicated tracks, which will allow trains to travel at least 270kph.

And the 2017 Budget allocation, as announced in October, was RM260.8 billion.

In the end, it must be accepted that it is (their worldly fortunes) that has given them the wealth, the fame and their wellbeing.