For many, prison is seen as the end of the road. But when the iron gates finally open and former inmates step back into the outside world, that is often when the real punishment begins.
The label of “ex-convict” follows them. Job opportunities become scarce. Some return home only to find that even their own families are unwilling to accept them.
Without support or someone to turn to, many former inmates fall back into their old ways — not necessarily because they do not want to change, but because no one is willing to give them a genuine opportunity to start again.
Syed Barkath Amin Syed Mohd Tarmidzi, who spent five years behind bars, understands that reality all too well. He learnt that remorse alone is not enough to change a life.
What matters, he realised, is having someone willing to open a door when every other one appears firmly shut.
That realisation led him to establish Kolar Merah, a rehabilitation and entrepreneurship training centre that helps former inmates rebuild their lives.
More than a decade ago, life looked very different for the 36-year-old.
Drug addiction at a young age gradually destroyed his future.
The salary he initially used to buy drugs was eventually no longer enough to sustain his addiction. That drove him into crime, culminating in his conviction for gang armed robbery in 2008.
“I became involved in crime because of drugs. At first, I bought them using my own salary, but eventually the money ran out, I became too lazy to work and then the idea of robbing people came up.
“That was the mistake I made when I was in my early 20s,” he said.
The court sentenced Syed Barkath Amin to five years in prison.
Those years became a turning point, changing the way he viewed his life. After his release at the end of 2013, he was determined to leave his past behind and build a new life.
But he soon realised that the real challenge was not life inside prison, but what came after his release.
Rather than allowing his past to define him, Syed Barkath Amin decided to turn it into a source of hope for others.
He began sharing his experiences on TikTok. His stories about prison life attracted widespread attention, and former inmates and their family members began contacting him with the same question: Where could they turn after prison?
Many were reluctant to return to their hometowns for fear of slipping back into their old lifestyles. Others had been given repeated chances by their families and were no longer welcome home.
It was from those conversations that Kolar Merah was born.
Hope, and a place to rebuild
More than simply an entrepreneurship training centre, Kolar Merah became a temporary home where former inmates could begin rebuilding their lives.
Each participant undergoes a six-month personal development and entrepreneurship programme while staying at a hostel in Taman Tasik Prima, Puchong, giving them time and structure to adjust to a new routine.
Syed Barkath Amin believes genuine change does not begin with teaching someone how to run a business. It starts with changing the way they think.
“We first correct their mindset. Our aim is not merely to teach entrepreneurship, but to build their character so that someone who was once violent and under the influence of drugs can become a person who is responsible for themselves and their family,” he said.
Since Kolar Merah was established four years ago, it has helped between 300 and 400 former inmates. About 80 per cent of them have a history of drug abuse.
Some now operate burger stalls, others work for private companies, while some have started businesses of their own.
But for Syed Barkath Amin, success is not measured by how many participants become entrepreneurs or secure jobs.
The most meaningful moment comes when someone who was once rejected is finally welcomed back by their family.
“When their families accept them again, that is the greatest success.
“When they feel loved again and are able to support their families through their own hard work, I feel that everything we have done is truly worthwhile,” he said.
For Muhammad Imani Shahlim Mohd Said, 35, Kolar Merah helped him rebuild his sense of self and eventually regain his family’s acceptance after the mistakes of his past.
Originally from Pahang, Muhammad Imani, who had previously been involved in drug-related offences, came to the centre determined to change and build a new life.
He said he was grateful to have been given a second chance and to now be able to help support his family with his own income.
“The workshops are very good, and you also need to be mentally strong when dealing with people. What matters most is yourself, and my family has also said that I have changed a lot.
“I did not return to my hometown for two years because I wanted to work on myself, but they continued to give me moral support,” said Muhammad Imani, who is now a leader at the rehabilitation centre.
