A hero to some, a turncoat to others - air force pilot Major Zaidi Ahmad clocked out as a soldier for the last time today after being sacked for speaking to the media without approval about the flawed indelible ink system.

True to character, instead of decrying injustice, he used the opportunity to spread the word that he is now available to speak at any ceramah.

"Last day as a soldier - At 10am today I was called to face the Butterworth Royal Malaysia Air Force (RMAF) Base commander so the document certifying my sentence signed by the RMAF general on Jan 27, 2015 can be read out to me.

"This means that since that date, I ceased to be a soldier… Alhamdulillah and hopefully my pension and other gratuities are paid in full with no revisions.

"Starting today, anyone who wants to book me for any ceramah can do so. Allahuakbar ," he wrote on instant messaging application WhatsApp .

He also included a picture of him standing in front of a RMAF jet giving two thumbs up.

Impeccable service

During his trial, Major Zaidi was recognised by presiding Military Court judge Saadon Hasnan for his impeccable service spanning 26 years.

The judge noted that he was sentenced for making a media statement without approval from the Armed Forces Council, and not because he spoke on faulty indelible ink.

Major Zaidi had declined to appeal the verdict, and said he will face the panel of judges who convicted him " in Allah’s court ".

His case was championed by electoral watchdog NGO Bersih, while the Facebook page 'Sokong Mejar Zaidi TUDM' has close to 30,000 'likes'.

In an interview with Malaysiakini , he expressed worry about his family’s livelihood, his youngest of three children not yet in school.

He said he will engage in direct selling, will author a book and is also mulling joining a Pakatan Rakyat party.

He added that he will strive for the truth even in politics, as he did while in the military.

"If tomorrow I am sacked from Pakatan for speaking the truth, so be it," he said.