Cover story: Marion Caunter, Min Caunter and Leia Rose are a modern portrait of female legacy

Anyone who knows Marion knows that she does not do things by half; she commits, and she’s consistent. “I really, really take this role so seriously. I’m just raising good humans.That’s always been my goal, Nasa and I both. We have numerous sit-downs, I’m constantly listening to podcasts, reading about how to parent, especially in this new digital age of parenting which is a whole different ballgame. I'm constantly discussing and sharing with Nasa on his role, my role, and how we can be the best as a team, as individuals. I treat parenting like a full-time job.”

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None of this is lost on Leia or her younger siblings, and when speaking to her you can see that same tenacity reflected in her. “We’re quite similar,” the teenager says. “We’re both vocal about things. In the sense that if we’re disturbed—we don’t take it lightly. We’re very principled people. My mum always teaches me to have my morals and you know—I’m not a pushover.”

Out of earshot, Marion says, “You know, I’m like, girl, damn, she’s really strong. I was never like this at her age. She’s gotten there much quicker than I have. It took me so long and I’m still figuring it out.” Which as any parent, guardian or mentor knows, is the great joy of any kind of teaching: that children will learn from your mistakes, and will do better.

“You've got to watch your child, hear them, you know?,” Min says. “Steer them to the right path and direction.”

“My mum and dad didn’t have much help growing up. And then when my dad passed away, she just had to carry on with life and do everything on her own,” Marion says. “And I saw her just get on with it. She was so strong. It was never like: ‘I’m going to sit down with you and talk to you about values and tell you what you need to do,’ it was just by observing. That’s how we were all raised, my sisters and I. We are strong, strong chicks.

“Now I’m in a position where I’m so privileged to have the help that I have. I’m able to be more intentional and conscious about how I parent my children. With the girls it’s like, ‘You’re going to be principled, strong, you don’t need to be people pleasers.’ All these really important values that have taken me so long to get to, I’m trying to inculcate in them already.”

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In Marion’s case, that parenting comes with an extra level of pressure, raising her children as she is in a highly visible and scrutinised position. “I'm very particular on them doing the best that they possibly can given the situation they’ve been born into. I think because they have so much more than I did growing up, that’s why I'm even more strict about it. They’re so blessed and so privileged that I cannot accept them not trying their best.

I always say one thing: ‘With everything that mummy and daddy can provide, I just want to know that each of you is trying your best. Whatever the result, you know yourself, you’ve given it your all. And I’m okay with that, whatever the result may be.’ To me, that’s a non-negotiable. That’s one of my biggest fears, raising entitled, spoiled kids. I do so much to ensure that they don't become those kids.”

So that’s attitude. But there is also the matter of attention, an inevitable consequence of growing up in such a high-profile family. Since she first appeared on 8TV Quickie two decades ago, Marion has been a favourite on the style and entertainment scene. She’s launched her own businesses, gotten married, given birth to three children—and the public appetite for details of her life has only grown. “Until today, I think about the fact that the children are out there now because of me. It was never planned. It just happened because they are so part of my life. I am such a mum. I joke that my two girls are like my besties. And I love being with them. How do I share me without sharing what’s the most, biggest part of my life?’

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It’s a fine-tuned balance that Marion and her family are constantly recalibrating. “I actually sat down with Leia and Lana a few years back, and every year I check in with them again. I go: ‘How are we feeling? I apologise if I put you out there before you had agency to choose, but now that you’re big enough, two teenagers, how do you feel?’ And they're like, ‘We're fine. We’re okay, Mommy.’ Sometimes they’re like, ‘I love it.’ There was an article that came out online about the top 10 nepo babies in Malaysia, and it came across my feed. I said, ‘Leia, you know some people are saying this about you,’ and she goes, ‘Yeah I am, so?’”

“No matter who you are, you’ll always have haters,” Leia says breezily. “At the end of the day, you just have to accept that anything you do, someone can have a problem with it. And I do think that there are misconceptions. But why should I have to correct it? We’re all just living our own lives, right?

“We don’t let social media bother us in the least,” Min chimes in. “We’re sure of ourselves. So negative words don’t really affect us.”

“I think all three of us are confident in how we are. We’re sure of ourselves,” Leia says. “And we don’t let other people change that. You have to have self-worth and be confident. Because at the end of the day, the only person that can row your boat is yourself.”

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