Establishment

The Yayasan Tun Suffian or, in English, the Tun Suffian Foundation, was established by the execution of a Trust Deed and an Agreement pursuant to the Trust Deed on 11 June 2002 during a simple ceremony in the Chambers of the then Chief Justice Yang Amat Ariff Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin who graciously agreed to be its Chairman. The following Statement was issued to the press immediately after the ceremony:

"Chief Justice Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin heads an eleven-member Board of Trustees of the Yayasan Tun Suffian, established to perpetuate the good name of Tun Mohamed Suffian, the former Lord President of the Federal Court of Malaysia who died at the age of almost 83 at the home of his close friend Tunku Dato‘ Dr. Sofiah Jewa in Kampung Tunku, Petaling Jaya almost two years ago on 26 September 2000.

The other members of the Board are Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim, Tun Suffian‘s younger brother and engineer Tan Sri Talha Hashim, former Court of Appeal judge Dato’ Shaik Daud, Court of Appeal judge Dato K. C. Vohrah, Vice Chancellor of the University of Malaya Professor Dato’ Dr. Anuar Zaini Md. Zain, lawyers Dato’ Dr. Yaacob Hussain Merican and Encik Zaid Ibrahim, medical practitioner Dr Liew Yin Mei, chartered accountant Dato’ Ahmad Johan Raslan and Malayan Law Journal managing director Mr Michael John Evans. A Trust Deed and an Agreement supplemental to the Deed were executed in the Chambers of the Chief Justice this morning between Tunku Sofiah as founder of the Yayasan and the other Board members in the presence of Tan Sri Datuk Wira Dr. L.C. Vohrah, Judge Ad Litem of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The Trustees shall be making an application to the Prime Minister for a Certificate of Registration of themselves as trustees of the Yayasan, as a corporate body, pursuant to section 4 of the Trustees (Incorporation) Act 1952. Once the Certificate is obtained the Yayasan shall be known as “Yayasan Tun Suffian Berdaftar”. Certificate of Incorporation & Permit to Solicit Tax-exempt Donations The Certificate of Incorporation of the Foundation was issued by the Prime Minister’s Department on 23rd August, 2002 and the Permit to solicit tax-exempt donations was issued to the Foundation on 27th January 2003."

Principal Objectives of the Foundation:

1. To establish a Tun Suffian Chair on Constitutional Law at the University of Malaya;

2. To award a Tun Suffian Scholarship periodically for deserving Malaysian students to pursue undergraduate law studies at Tun Suffian’s alma mater at Cambridge and thenceforth to be called to the bar at Middle Temple – the path the late Tun pursued in his law studies;

3.  On an annual basis:

• To grant the Tun Suffian Cambridge Award to the most outstanding Malaysian student pursuing the Master’s Programme in law at Cambridge;

• To award ten scholarships (five based strictly on merit and the other five on merit/need basis) to Malaysian students pursuing any Malaysian-based LLB degree course recognised by the Malaysian Bar;

• To award eleven scholarships to outstanding Malaysian students pursuing any Malaysian-based LLM degree course recognised by the Malaysian Government;

• To award twelve scholarships to outstanding Malaysian students pursuing any Malaysian-based PhD degree course (not necessarily related to law) recognised by the Malaysian Government.

Royal Patrons | The Foundation | Board of Trustees