Kota Samarahan MP urges ATM veterans to be in touch with Perhebat

KOTA SAMARAHAN (Dec 21): Veterans of the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) are advised to stay in touch with the Ex-Servicemen Affairs Corporation (Perhebat).

Datuk Rubiah Wang, the Deputy Rural and Regional Development Minister, said this is important so that the ATM veterans’ data can be evaluated by the government and the Ministry of Defence in efforts to assist them in securing a second career after completing their service.

According to her, around 5,000 to 6,300 members complete their service every year, with 75 per cent of them aged between 29 and 45.

As such, she is optimistic that veterans within that age range, who are equipped with skills, expertise, experience and high discipline, will be able to contribute to the growth of the private sector in the state.

“Perhebat, which serves as an enabler of the veterans’ careers, will continue to monitor the progress of veterans who are undergoing Transition Training.

“In Sarawak, Perhebat is monitoring 3,322 veterans who have completed Transition Training over a period of five years, from 2018 to 2022.

“As a result of this, out of the 1,949 veterans who were successfully contacted, a total of 1,261 veterans are involved in business, 225 are self-employed while the remaining 463 veterans still do not have a second career due to various factors,” she said in her speech read by Samarahan district officer Ahmad Abdul Razak at the Perhebat Certificate presentation ceremony at Kota Samarahan Civic Centre here yesterday.

On the ATM Veteran Entrepreneur Empowerment Programme (Puvet), Rubiah said the programme will continue to be implemented in seven states next year with a target of 200 veteran ATM entrepreneurs receiving business grants.

“To ensure that the benefits of this programme can be fully enjoyed by the participants, the scope of cross-ministerial and agency cooperation will be expanded together with the Ministry of Economy and several agencies that can help veterans in aspects of packaging, branding and marketing,” explained the Kota Samarahan MP.

Meanwhile, Perhebat Mechanical, Electrical and Automotive Studies director Mohd Ismam Shahid said the courses offered by Perhebat in Sarawak have been increasing since 2021.

He said the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Entrepreneur Course was now being offered at the Sibu Veterans Training and Guidance Centre (PLBV).

This course has been available at Kuching PLBV since October 2021, he added.

“The number of graduating Sarawak SME entrepreneurs has now reached 1,350 people throughout the nine-recruitment series which ran from 2021 to 2023.

“The career prospect of these former trainees towards entrepreneurship and self-employment is 65 per cent while the percentage of those who were employed is 35 per cent,” he said.

The presentation ceremony, which was held for retiring military personnel, saw a total of 257 recipients awarded with certificates after successfully completing the Transition Training.