SABAH & SARAWAK — Two young leaders from East Malaysia, one from Sabah and one from Sarawak, have been selected to represent Malaysia in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), a flagship professional exchange programme of the United States Department of State.
Amos Thien Tze Tin, Special Functions Officer to YB Senator Phoong Jin Zhe, represented Sabah, while Nur Azhar bin Bujang, Secretary to the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly, represented Sarawak.
Together, they were the two Malaysian participants among a cohort of 10 emerging young leaders from eight countries — Malaysia, South Korea, Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Timor-Leste.
The three-week programme took place from 3 to 21 August 2026 under the theme “U.S. States and Local Government,” across four distinct government settings — Washington, D.C., Pensacola, Florida, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Honolulu, Hawaii.
The central focus of the programme was to understand how the U.S. decentralises governance, responsibilities and decision-making across its different levels of government — from the federal government to state governments and local authorities.
The participants also engaged with government officials, public institutions, community organisations, civil society representatives and other professional counterparts to observe how policies are implemented at different levels and how local communities participate in governance.
Unlike many international programmes, the IVLP has no open application process. Participants are nominated by U.S. Embassies and selected based on leadership potential, professional achievement and influence in their respective fields, with final approval by the U.S. Department of State.
“International exchanges such as the IVLP provide young Malaysians with valuable exposure to different systems of governance, broaden our perspectives and strengthen our leadership capacity. I also believe it is important that the voices and perspectives of Sabah and Sarawak continue to be part of the global conversation,” said Amos.
The selection of Amos and Nur Azhar highlights their professional potential while bringing Sabah and Sarawak perspectives to one of the U.S. government’s longest-running leadership exchange programmes.
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