Upon graduating from high school, he studied agriculture at the Hasanuddin University, but dropped out a few years later in favor of the Indonesian Military Academy.

[4] He was reassigned to the 6th Field Artillery Battalion in Makassar, South Sulawesi to fight against Islamic rebel groups in the region.

He was later transferred to the Wirabuana Regional Military Command—which covers the entire Sulawesi island—and held several important offices such as chief of information and deputy assistant for territorial affairs.

During his tenure as regent, Syam established close relations with influential youth and religious figures in the region.

The pair was nominated by the Golkar fraction inside the council and received approval from the home affairs department.

The South Sulawesi provincial government was required to assist the new province by giving eight trillion rupiahs, which Syam refused to provide.