Family & Life Magazine Issue 11 | Page 7

punetrable: COVERSTORY Im The Story of Serge (Grit, not Graft) In Myanmar, an Yet, Pun has managed to build a sprawling business emerging economy empire with interests in real estate, banking and civil aviation among other industries. Most with a corrupt past and of these ventures are either parked under the a new leadership who Singapore-listed Yoma Strategic Holdings or its wants to reconnect Myanmar affiliates, the SPA Group or First Myanmar with the world, Serge Investments. These ventures are three defining symbols telling the world that entrepreneurial Pun is an anomaly. The success in Myanmar need not be bought or bartered bespectacled, silver- for money and favours. haired businessman has carved out a squeaky CORRUPTION IS CANCER To understand Pun’s distaste for corruption and clean reputation over cronyism, you’ll have to go all the way back to 1973, the decades as a man when a young 20-year-old crossed the Lowu Bridge at of principle who will Shenzhen and walked into Hong Kong with just HK$5 not stoop to grease the in his pocket and a head full of dreams to sustain him. board berthed palms of a government That young man would go on to work onhe could afford ships in the Hong Kong harbour so that official in order to his next meal. Later on, he would land a job selling air secure a business deal. sanitizers door to door. When he knocked on a door that belonged to a real estate broker named Elmer Busch, it launched him on a trajectory that would see him set up Serge Pun & Associates Group of Companies in 1983 before finally returning to Yangon eight years later. For Pun, the idea of reaping rewards without putting in the hard work – the essence of corruption – is discomforting. “When I see people benefit in an unethical way, it bothers me. It pisses me off,” he says. “I think that [corruption] lacks the mutual respect that every human being should give to others.” He compares corruption to cancer. Just as how a body ultimately succumbs to cancerous cells if not treated, a country beset by corrupt bureaucracies will eventually break down. “If you look at the emerging markets in our society today, you’ll notice that there are lots of successful economies. But yet, you find that a large majority of the country’s population is still poor,” asserts Pun. “The main reason is because the economic benefits do not trickle down. The money is being siphoned sideways into the pockets of a small number of people. That causes the rampant poverty you see around you.” The consequence of my choice seated across his views was that I had to Pun iscorruption and from me as he shareshis neck about I can see the veins in be prepared pulsating as he gesticulates with his hands to bring to lose business his point across. It’s clearly an issue he is incredibly concerned about; Pun is a regular participant in deals. I am World Economic Forum events that centre on the prepared for that topics of business transparency and corruption. consequence MISTRUST AND ALLEGATIONS and my choice is Despite his well-documented views on the subject and something that I his global reputation a ́5ȁ