How do you build a living monument?
Six decades ago, Malaysia set out to honour its founding father, Y.T.M. Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra al-Haj. Rather than stone statues or silent monuments, the nation chose a living legacy built on the ultimate foundation: education.
Since its establishment in 1966, Yayasan Tunku Abdul Rahman (YTAR) has supported more than 12,000 Malaysian youths through RM96.6 million in scholarships, financial assistance, and leadership development programmes. Behind those numbers is a 60-year journey full of stories. Here are six worth knowing.
#1: A Reader’s Letter Sparked A Nationwide Crowdfunding
It started with a letter. In 1965, a reader of Utusan Melayu proposed founding a “Tunku Abdul Rahman Education Foundation” to mark Tunku’s birthday, and the idea quickly grew into a nationwide fundraising campaign, launched on 8 February 1965, his 62nd birthday.
Tan Sri Dato’ Ibrahim Fikri bin Mohammad, then Chief Minister of Terengganu and Chairperson of Utusan Melayu, led by example with a personal donation of M$2,000*, while the newspaper itself contributed M$20,000. Malaysians from all walks of life, state governments, corporations, and associations followed suit, ultimately raising M$60,170.20 (equivalent to roughly RM380,000 today).
Tunku himself later called the foundation his ultimate “birthday gift.”
*M$ (Malaysian Dollar): Used from 1967 when Bank Negara Malaysia first issued the independent Malaysian dollar, replacing the older Malaya and British Borneo dollar.
#2: Foundation Established By An Act Of Parliament
To institutionalise the movement, the Malaysian Parliament officially passed the Tunku Abdul Rahman Foundation Fund Act (Act 389) on 20 June 1966. It received royal assent on 16 July 1966 and was gazetted on 28 July, with Tan Sri Mohamed Khir Johari, the first Minister of Education, appointed as the first Chairperson of the foundation, serving from 1966 to 1974.
By 1967, the foundation had rolled out scholarships, loans, and study grants open to all Malaysian students regardless of race or religion, a direct reflection of Tunku’s belief in equal access to education.
His legacy proved so foundational that YTAR later established the Tan Sri Khir Johari Award, honouring resilient students who succeeded despite great personal and financial hardship.
#3: A Movie Written By Tunku Funded Early Scholars
In 1968, the Capitol Theatre in Kuala Lumpur hosted the premiere of Raja Bersiong, a film written by Tunku Abdul Rahman himself. The screening raised M$55,000, every dollar of which went directly to funding the foundation’s earliest scholarship recipients.
The tradition of star-studded fundraising continued for decades afterwards. Malam YTAR, the foundation’s flagship gala, ran annually from 1992 to 2005 before being rebranded to Makan Amal YTAR in 2008, drawing Cabinet Ministers, MPs, and prominent donors year after year.
#4: An Award That Grew From Recognition Into Real Impact
The Anugerah Pingat Tunku was introduced in 1979 during the foundation’s second decade to recognise outstanding graduates from local public universities who demonstrated a rare trifecta: academic excellence, stellar leadership potential, and active co-curricular involvement. The very first batch of recipients received their awards at the Majlis Jamuan dan Penyampaian Hadiah YTAR, a birthday celebration for Tunku.
In 2019 and 2020, YTAR introduced a game-changing update to the award. Instead of just receiving personal prize money, winners are now awarded an equivalent Community Project Grant. This grant empowers outstanding graduates to roll up their sleeves and turn their innovative ideas for positive social change into active, fully-funded community projects across Malaysia.
For nearly 50 years, students could only receive the Tunku Medal if they were nominated directly by their respective public universities. However, from 2026 onwards, the award has officially opened up to self-nominations and now welcomes applications from outstanding graduates of both public and private Malaysian universities. Find out more here: https://www.yayasantar.org.my/ytar-pingat-tunku-award
#5: A Scholarship That Evolved With the Times
The Tunku Abdul Rahman Scholarship, YTAR’s flagship award, was first introduced in 1967 alongside the Putra Scholarship to open higher education to all Malaysian students regardless of race or religion. In 2006, it was rebranded as the Biasiswa Tunku Abdul Rahman (BTAR), launching with an inaugural cohort of 20 “Tunku Scholars.”
Since YTAR’s 2019 strategic transition, BTAR has evolved from a merit-based award into a holistic, equitable programme that weighs applicants’ backgrounds, financial needs, and lived experiences alongside leadership potential.
Today’s scholars receive nine distinct types of allowances and complete a structured two-year leadership development programme built to shape Malaysia’s leaders.
#6: From Poets to Policy Think Tanks, Generations Of Scholars
The true heart of YTAR’s 60-year legacy is its alumni: the Tunku Scholars. Over the decades, they’ve gone on to serve in nearly every corner of Malaysian nation-building.
Ms Ch’ng Kim See and Dr Zakaria Ali were the foundation’s first two scholarship recipients, back in 1967 and 1968. Kim See became an internationally renowned pioneer in library and information science, serving at the National Library of Malaysia and later leading technical services at the United Nations IAEA Library in Vienna. Dr Zakaria Ali’s scholarship took him to study in Texas; he went on to earn a PhD from Harvard, authored 21 books on art history and 6 novels, and spent decades educating students at USM, UPSI, and UKM.
That legacy continues today through scholars like Sathish Rao Appalanaidu, Razman bin Durhan, and Afiza Eliana, just to name a few of the thousands.
Sathish, the youngest of four siblings, grew up with his family on a palm oil estate, and higher education looked increasingly out of reach as he struggled through school. What he did have was grit, motivation and leadership – enough to earn him a YTAR scholarship that carried him through to a tertiary degree. Today, Dr Sathish Rao Appalanaidu lectures in Educational Psychology at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris. Outside the lecture hall, he sits on the board of SP Setia Foundation, co-chairs a working group under the Global Volunteering Forum, and consults with the ASEAN Foundation and other regional organisations.
Razman, a first-generation graduate from Kinabatangan, Sabah, worked part-time jobs throughout university while founding a community aquaponics project that taught sustainable farming to low-income residents. That project earned him the Anugerah Pingat Tunku in 2022, and he now leads investment strategy for a state fisheries body.
Afiza grew up in a single-income Orang Asli Jakun family in Johor, and was one of only two young people from her village to pursue higher education. During the pandemic, she raised funds to provide digital devices to Orang Asli students. Today, she teaches the Malay language at a rural school, giving back to the very community that raised her.
Keeping The Legacy Alive
What began in 1965 with a reader’s letter and a nationwide fundraising effort has grown into an institution that continues to build young leaders for Malaysia. Six decades on, YTAR has stayed true to that founding spirit, even as it has evolved with the times, from a movement funded by ordinary Malaysians’ donations to a national foundation shaping the next generation of changemakers.
Throughout its history, YTAR has been sustained by the generosity of individuals, corporations, foundations, and partners who share Tunku’s belief that every young Malaysian deserves a fair shot at education. As YTAR enters its next decade, the Foundation welcomes individuals, corporations, and organisations who share that same vision.
The YTAR of today stands on foundations laid by those who believed in Malaysia and in the potential of its young people. The YTAR of tomorrow depends on the generosity and partnership of people like you. Every contribution helps build Malaysia’s future leaders through higher education access, scholarships, leadership development, and employability programmes.
Explore partnership opportunities, donate, or participate in YTAR’s programmes. Find out more at www.yayasantar.org.my
