(The final sequel of the) Dead Man's Chest

Dead Man's Chest is the title of the 2nd sequel of the movie, Pirates of the Caribbean starring Johnny Depp, Bill Nighy, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. The film, released globally in July, 2006 received mixed reviews from viewers, with praise for its special effects and criticism for its confusing plot and lengthy running time.

But this blog entry is not about the movie or the character in the movie - Captain Jack Sparrow, it's about a real life struggle for a fair share on a real dead man's estate.

You can be the richest man in the world, but life's baggage would still tag on to you , even after you have kicked the bucket and although the money you left could pay for anything the world can offer.

Ever wondered that one of Malaysia's celebrated corporate sons had a second family (wife in a polygamous marriage) snugged secretly somewhere in this country or elsewhere. And now this second family (wife and five children) are suing for control of six companies now being held by the late businessman's first wife and their five children.

Read the news: Second wife sues for control of Naza empire or the Malay version Keluarga kedua Nasimuddin tuntut RM350 juta

Tan Sri SM Nasimuddin SM Amin, who passed away in 1 May 2008, might not be the richest man in this country but he was certainly one of the most respected businessman around. He started humbly importing and selling reconditioned cars in PJ and KL in the mid 70s. In the 80s and 90s his company, Naza was known to be one of the most successful automobile importers in the world.

It was told that he reaped his first million ringgit in just one year after his first business deal in 1976 at the age of 21. It is also said that his success was due to his prudence and simplicity. He saved every sen he received from his parents since his school days, and from what he earned helping his father in his construction business and later from his job as a clerk.

Read about his life history here.

In 2008 he secured the Ferrari, Peugeot and Harley-Davidson franchises and TTDI commenced work on his Platinum Park project. And prior to his demise, he created an RM260 million state of the art factory in Gurun, Kedah, one of the biggest automobile showrooms in Asia in PJ, 4000 jobs, and helped support 10,000 further jobs indirectly (vendors, suppliers, etc.).

And most of all, Tan Sri Nasimuddin was fondly remembered as a very nice man. He never said bad words, never shouted at, or scolded his employees, he never condemned others with hateful words and always wanted to make friends, even with those who spoke ill of him. After meeting up, even those who had some misgivings or felt he was given too much were surprised by his simple and humble behaviour (taken somewhere on the web, without permission).

But despite that, there are stories about him and his family that we had not known until today when the second family blew the cover. It's not about having a polygamous marriage (for someone like him) is a bad thing to do. But having the second family to file a legal suit from the first family to claim millions worth of property would certainly taint his almost perfect image in the eyes of the ordinary Malaysians and more so his worshipers in the business world.

Do you think the first family would give in to the demands of the second family?

Well, certainly not...! hence the legal suit.

In the file of claims, the suit named 15 defendants starting with the estates previously owned by Nasimuddin, Nasimuddin's first wife Puan Sri Zaleha Ismail, 57, and her children, Datuk Faisal, 31, Nur Diana, 28, Sheikh Mohd Nasarudin, 26, Sheikh Mohd Faliq, 25, and Nur Nadia, 24.

The rest are Naza Kia Sdn Bhd, Naza Automotif Manufacturing Sdn Bhd, Nasim Sdn Bhd, Naza Motor Trading Sdn Bhd, Naza TTDI Sdn Bhd, NZ Wheels Sdn Bhd, Ekspedisi Nikmat Sdn Bhd and CIMB Trustee Berhad (all 15 defendants).

In the novel  Treasure Island (1883), where the title of this blog entry (Dead Man's Chest) fits in with the whole story, Robert Louis Stevenson only wrote the chorus, leaving the remainder of the song unwritten, and to the reader's imagination:

“	"Fifteen men on the dead man's chest-- ...Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! Drink and the devil had done for the rest-- ...Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!" ...and now the first plaintiff is asking - still got room for another six?