Sewing and brewing as soldiers return to civilian life

The Sun

11-06-2025

KLUANG: With her military career 'sewn up' including a stint with the Malaysian Battalion Team (Malbatt) in Lebanon, this tough lady wishes to exchange the gun for needle-and-thread thus continuing the legacy of her seamstress-mother once she returns to civilian life.
Senior Warrant Officer (Rtd) P. Maygala, 41, who served in the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) until her retirement last year (2024), said her feminine intuition persuaded her to study business management as a second career in the Transition Training programme, organised by the Ex-Servicemen Affairs Corporation (Perhebat).
'Many people ask me why tailoring and not other fields such as security ... my answer is simply that I am a woman, a mother, so the feminine spirit prevails despite the military discipline. Even before joining the army, I helped my mother at her tailoring shop,' she told Bernama after the Perhebat Certificate presentation here today by Commander of the RMN Reserve Force, First Admiral Azhar Adam.
Maygala, who has served for 21 years including joining the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force, thanked the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) and Perhebat.
'Having just graduated and receiving the certificate today, I will join my mother's clothing business in Johor Bahru by the end of the year,' she said.
Another Perhebat graduate, Corporal (Rtd) Helmi Mohd Balawi, 43, said he would open a coffee-based cafe armed with the knowledge he gained from Perhebat 'sTransition Training.
With his simmering interest in coffee, he wants to have a meaningful life while generating income after retirement.
'I served in the Johor Military Force (JMF) for 26 years, so I have no other skills. That's why I joined the Perhebat's Transition Training so that I can adapt to civilian life,' he said.
Meanwhile, First Admiral Azhar said the MAF and Perhebat would increase their cooperation with the private sector to provide more job opportunities.
According to him, eight new memorandums of understanding and agreements have been signed by the MAF in 2025 to support human capital development of MAF retirees and veterans to explore new fields.
'Besides teaching business to produce entrepreneurs, we are shifting our focus to the field of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of military assets with specialised training.
'This Transition Training has churned out a total of 3,473 MAF retirees while five JMF retirees have received certificates. A total of 514 personnel and veterans have also been awarded the Malaysian Skills Diploma,' Azhar added.