The completion of the first access road to Genting Highlands was crucial to my business career. It was not just cutting a road through the jungle. My whole dream on Genting in fact hinged on the road’s successful completion. If I failed in building the road, my hopes for Genting would be shattered and this would be a terrible setback for me.

In the development of Genting Highlands, be it the construction of the access road or other expansion and upgrading projects, I was always in the forefront, sometimes oblivious of my own safety. In those challenging days, I encountered no fewer than six dangerous incidents which nearly cost me my life. After having gone through those bad experiences, I came to value life more.

One of these incidents took place at the old helipad in Genting Highlands. It was about seven in the evening. Although it was a little dark, the workers were still busy at work. I, together with six workers, were standing by the side of a bulldozer. Due to the monsoon rains earlier, the place where the bulldozer was operating suddenly caved in. I had felt the ground moving and the spot where we were standing was beginning to wobble. Sensing that the earth under our feet was giving way, I leapt sideways in the nick of time to avoid being swept away. It was a close shave.

After recovering from the shock, I turned around to look for the other six people. What a relief when I found all of them safe. If we were not alert then, we would have been swept some 27 metres down the ravine and buried alive under tons of muds. That night when I got home, I jokingly told my wife that I went to hell but was turned back in order to continue my work!

The development of Genting Highlands was done not without cost. Although I had six narrow escapes, there was only one fatal accident in which a construction worker fell to his death from the 14th floor of a building due to carelessness. To me, this is very consoling.