🇲🇾 How to Live a Happy Life Without Regrets
On 2 February 2026, Malaysia lost a giant of his generation. Koon Yew Yin passed away at the age of 93.
Born in 1933, his life was deeply interwoven with the nation’s development. He was a builder of infrastructure, a disciplined value investor, and a philanthropist.
In 1967, he co-founded Mudajaya Construction with his partners. In 1983, amid expansion and intensifying market competition, Mudajaya merged with IGB Construction and Jurutama Construction to form IJM. When IJM was listed in 1986, its market capitalisation stood at RM66 million. Today, it has grown into a major conglomerate valued at nearly RM10 billion.
During the same period, he was also involved in the early founding of Gamuda. Although he stepped away from active management relatively early, the company went on to establish leadership in highways, tunnels, and MRT infrastructure, eventually reaching a market value of approximately RM25 billion and becoming one of Malaysia’s largest construction groups.
These two chapters placed him among the rare individuals who played founding roles in two national-scale engineering giants, securing his place in Malaysia’s corporate history.
At age 50, after suffering severe heart angina, he was forced to step away from frontline corporate leadership, bringing his years at the helm to a close. He subsequently turned to the capital markets, beginning with roughly RM200,000 in capital. Over the following decades, he developed a distinctive investment philosophy:
Prioritising valuation over sentiment, with a preference for undervalued stocks.
Employing high leverage, at times enduring multiple margin calls.
In the later stage of his investment career, following the disposal of his LSK-related holdings, he gradually reduced new investment activity and stepped back from active decision-making.
Beyond investing, he consistently directed substantial resources toward education. He had announced a RM50 million commitment to fund university student hostels, structured with rental caps, open tender processes, and long-term governance safeguards. He also established scholarships and provided sustained university support, including an annual RM1 million student aid contribution to Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman.
Yet his life also carried a difficult and controversial chapter. As a major shareholder and co-founder of Beh Minerals, the company held approximately 35% of Asian Rare Earth Sdn Bhd and entered into a joint venture with Mitsubishi of Japan to conduct rare earth refining in Bukit Merah, Perak. The project was later confirmed to have caused radioactive contamination, with reports of elevated rates of leukemia and birth defects among local residents. After prolonged public protests, the government intervened and halted operations. Following lengthy legal proceedings, the Japanese joint-venture partner agreed to a RM10 million settlement on the condition that the funds be used solely for charitable purposes, leading to the establishment of Yayasan Teratai in Perak.
On 5 January 2026, in his final written piece titled “How to Live a Happy Life Without Regrets,” Koon Yew Yin left behind his reflections on life. We share this in remembrance and reflection.
.
.
by ezyong
Image source: Koon Yew Yin’s Blog
Sebagai seseorang yang mengagumi kisah dan warisan Koon Yew Yin, saya terpanggil untuk berkongsi tentang bagaimana prinsip dan pengalaman beliau dapat diaplikasikan dalam kehidupan kita sendiri. Seperti yang dinyatakan, Koon Yew Yin menekankan pentingnya 'valuation over sentiment' dalam pelaburan — ini adalah pelajaran berharga bukan hanya dalam dunia kewangan, tetapi juga dalam membuat keputusan hidup. Pengalaman beliau menguruskan risiko dengan berani memakai leverage tinggi walaupun menghadapi margin calls menunjukkan keberanian dan ketahanan mental yang luar biasa. Dalam kehidupan harian, kita juga sering menghadapi ketidakpastian dan cabaran. Sikap berani mengambil risiko yang dikawal dan belajar dari kegagalan dapat membantu kita untuk tidak merasa menyesal di kemudian hari. Selain dari kejayaan korporat dan pelaburan, aspek yang paling menyentuh hati adalah komitmen Koon terhadap pendidikan dan masyarakat. Sumbangan beliau yang besar untuk membina asrama pelajar dan biasiswa jelas menunjukkan bahawa kejayaan sejati adalah apabila kita menyumbang kembali kepada komuniti. Ini mengingatkan saya bahawa hidup bahagia juga bermakna memberi dan membantu orang lain untuk maju. Namun, kehidupan Koon Yew Yin bukan tanpa kontroversi, seperti penglibatan beliau dalam projek penapisan rare earth di Bukit Merah yang menimbulkan isu kesihatan dan alam sekitar. Hal ini mengajar kita bahawa walaupun seseorang manusia hebat, tidak mustahil untuk melakukan kesilapan atau terlibat dalam perkara yang sukar. Yang penting adalah bagaimana kita belajar dari kesilapan, bertanggungjawab dan memperbaiki keadaan, seperti yang dilakukan melalui dana sumbangan kepada Yayasan Teratai. Dari pengalaman peribadi saya, mempraktikkan prinsip 'live without regrets' memerlukan keberanian untuk membuat keputusan, menerima akibatnya, dan terus maju ke hadapan tanpa memandang ke belakang terlalu lama. Menulis jurnal dan refleksi diri seperti yang dilakukan oleh Koon juga sangat membantu dalam membina kesedaran diri dan memudahkan kita untuk menghargai perjalanan hidup. Kesimpulannya, kisah hidup Koon Yew Yin memberikan inspirasi mendalam tentang bagaimana untuk hidup bermakna dan tanpa penyesalan — dengan berani mengambil risiko yang dikira, memberi kembali kepada masyarakat, dan sentiasa belajar dari segala pengalaman, baik mahupun buruk. Semoga kita semua dapat mengambil iktibar dan menjalani hidup dengan penuh kebahagiaan dan ketenangan.
