The 35-year-old maritime lieutenant in the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said it was her mother, Hamiah Zain, who had persuaded her to join the MMEA.
This is despite holding a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Universiti Teknologi Mara and having secured a job in finance.
The Perlis-born Aida said her father, Arzahari Sudin, who was a Royal Malaysian Navy warrant officer did of a heart attack on Jan 13, 2007, at the age of 49.
“When I felt like giving up during the training, I would recall my parents’ words of encouragement for me to be the best of the best,” she told reporters after receiving her instrument of appointment from Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Shahidan Kassim at MMEA’s 13th anniversary celebration held in the Sultan Ahmad Shah Maritime Academy here today.
Aida, who joined MMEA on April 23, 2012 as a trainee officer and served in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah will lead the KM Nyalau based in Lumut, Perak.
“I hope this achievement will inspire other women to stand out together and achieve success despite being in a field which is generally, dominated by men. Let’s prove that women also have the ability to safeguard the country’s security,” she said.
Meanwhile, Hamiah, 57, said she kept pushing her eldest daughter to join the MMEA as she had always yearned to see at least one of her three children follow in her husband’s footsteps.
According to her, Aida was best suited as she inherited many personality traits from her father, such as being strict, responsible and always completing every given task.