UMPSA and Yayasan Tun Razak realise TRF LEAP to enhance student leadership

GAMBANG, 3 February 2026 – A total of 70 selected Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) leavers from across Malaysia participated in the Tun Razak Leadership Programme (TRF LEAP) 2026 Cohort 31 residential camp for six days at Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) Gambang Campus starting 30 January.

The residential programme was managed by Tun Razak Foundation (TRF), Ministry of National Unity, in collaboration with the UMPSA InSmartive Club.

It forms part of the TRF LEAP 2026 programme, which began on 25 January in Kuala Lumpur and will conclude on 5 February in Kuantan.

In addition to communication skills modules and personality empowerment based on the aspirations and philosophy of struggle of Malaysia’s second Prime Minister, the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, TRF LEAP featured a sharing session titled ‘Educator, Professor, Vice-Chancellor: The Journey of A Pontian Girl’ delivered by the Vice-Chancellor of UMPSA, Professor Ts. Dr. Yatimah Alias, at Dewan Tun Fatimah, UMPSA Gambang Campus.

Also present were the Chief Executive Officer of TRF, Siti Hajar Abdul Rahman, Student Development and Leadership Coordinator, Faculty of Industrial Management (FPI) and TRF LEAP Cohort 4 alumnus, Wan Nazrul Helmy Wan Mohd Zain, President of AYTR, Dickson Lau, and President of the UMPSA InSmartive Club, Tuan Muhammad Aiman Tuan Asmawi.

According to Professor Ts. Dr. Yatimah, the programme provides students with opportunities to gain experience, cultivate leadership qualities, and prepare to move further in building their future careers.

“Be sincere and strengthen your spirit in facing every challenge ahead,” she said while sharing her experience.

As an only child from Pontian, Johor, she regards her mother as her role model and source of inspiration who strengthened her determination to succeed.

For the record, TRF LEAP was introduced by TRF in 1995 to develop future leaders with statesmanlike qualities among outstanding students representing all states in Malaysia in remembrance of the contributions of the late Tun Abdul Razak as the Father of Development, and a total of 2,100 alumni have been produced through this initiative.

The selection of UMPSA Gambang Campus as a stop for TRF LEAP 2026 is also significant in the context of TRF’s 50th anniversary, established to commemorate the passing of the late Tun Abdul Razak on 14 January 1976.

By: Siti Nur Azwin Zulkapri, Centre for Corporate Communications

Translation by: Ts. Dr. Rozaimi Abu Samah, UMPSA Press