Tun Razak Foundation was launched on 20 February 1976, five weeks after the demise of the late Tun Abdul Razak. The launching ceremony was officiated by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, then the Finance Minister of Malaysia, at a function initiated by the New Straits Times Press.

In January the same year Parliament passed the Tun Razak Foundation Act 1976 (Act 178) which received the assent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on 28 October 1976.

As provided for in the Act the Foundation should be managed by a Board of Trustees consisting of a Chairman appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, a representative of the Malaysian Treasury, and eighteen other members appointed by the Minister of Finance. The late Tun Mohamed Suffian Hashim was appointed its first Chairman.

The objectives of the Foundation are as follows:-

(a) to perpetuate the good name of Tun Abdul Razak;
(b) to achieve the aspirations and to perpetuate the good work of Tun Abdul Razak;
(c) to inculcate and promote mutual understanding among races and mankind;.
(d) to promote peace and understanding among nations; and
(e) to improve the standard of education in all fields and to uplift the standard of living of the people.

The Foundation has carried out several activities in fulfilling these objectives. In 1978 the Foundation established the Tun Abdul Razak Award bestowed upon persons or organisations that have contributed much to the country or community. Three categories of award have been established, namely (i) the International Award, (ii) the National Award, (iii) the Organisational Award. Up to date 32 awards have been given i.e. 16 National Awards, 8 International Awards and 8 Organisational Awards. Among those bestowed with the International Awards are YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, Robert McNamara, Nelson Mandela and Tun Thanat Khoman. Among the recipients of the National Award are Royal Professor Ungku Abdul Aziz, Tun Tan Siew Sin, Tun Ismail bin Mohamad Ali, Tan Sri B.C. Sekhar, Tun Abdul Ghafar bin Baba and Tun Hamdan bin Sheikh Tahir. Organisations awarded the third category of Award includes Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA), Malaysian Red Crescent Society, Al-Azhar University, Grameen Bank, University of Malaya and National University Malaysia. The Foundation also, in conjunction with the National University, grants Best Student Award to students of the University each year in memory of the services of the late Tun Abdul Razak as its first Chancellor.

Tun Razak Youth Leadership Programme is an annual feature of the Foundation. It is for students of Malaysian School Certificate who have shown outstanding leadership abilities at school level. This programme, started in 1993, is aimed at identifying leadership talents among young people with the view to exposing and guiding them towards leadership excellence. Participants of this programme are encouraged to form an alumni association as a means of gaining further experience and enhancement of the leadership talents by practising what has been learnt. Up to the end of 2006, 751 students of all racial origins from the Peninsula, Sabah dan Sarawak have participated in the programme.

In an effort to introduce Tun Abdul Razak to the young generation and as a record of his accomplishments the Foundation has produced two books and a video tape. The book “Tun Abdul Razak: Profile of a Patriot” and its Malay version “Tun Razak: Jejak Bertapak Seorang Patriot” together with the book “Tun Abdul Razak: A Personal Portrait” and the Malay edition “Tun Abdul Razak: Potret Dalam Kenangan” have been published and are available for sale to the public. A full biography of Tun Abdul Razak is under preparation and it is hoped to be published in the near future. The video tape produced in 2000 is also available for sale to the public.

The Foundation is always planning to expand the scope of its activities to fulfill the objective of its establishment. Last year (2005) Yayasan Tun Razak Forum was launched with a seminar on the subject of “New Challenges Facing Rural Development and Poverty Eradication” with the cooperation of Universiti Sains Malaysia. Report of the seminar is obtainable from the Foundation at the cost of RM30.00 per copy.

The Tun Razak Lecture held on 11 July 2007 is a manifestation of the widening of the scope of the Foundation’s activities which is planned to be a regular affair.



 

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