30/08/2026

/thesuntelegram FOLLOW / Malaysian Paper

ON TELEGRAM m RAM

theSunday Special IV ON SUNDAY AUG 30, 2026

Merdeka at 69: One man’s case for living the Rukun Negara

BY KIRTINEE RAMESH newsdesk@thesundaily.com

W HAT does Merdeka mean after 69 years of independence? For Aloysius Francis Pinto, the answer does not lie in flags, parades or speeches. It begins with something far more personal – looking in the mirror. “Where do we start? We start with the man in the mirror,” he said. With Portuguese-Chinese heritage and an education in Singapore, Pinto has spent much of his life moving between politics, community work and efforts to strengthen Malaysian society. From 2005 to 2009, he served as PJ Selatan PKR division deputy chief, when Sivarasa Rasiah was division chief and Lateefa Koya was an exco member. He was also involved in preparing the strategic election campaign for the 2008 state and federal elections before being appointed political secretary to the Subang MP in May 2008. But it was after leaving active politics in 2009 that his focus increasingly shifted towards what he saw as the work of building Malaysia from the ground up. That journey eventually led to the Malaysian Agenda for Civil Society, a coalition bringing together Malaysians from fields such as human resource development, communications, education, engineering, law, social development and good governance. The idea was simple – civil society, government agencies, businesses and communities could work together to address problems affecting Malaysians. For Pinto, the common thread running through it all has always been the Rukun Negara . He is now preparing a thesis titled The Rukun Negara and Its Aims & Objectives — From Rhetorics to Reality , reflecting a conviction he has carried since 2009, that Malaysia does not lack visions. What it lacks is the willingness to turn those visions into action. “People can write Vision 2020, One Malaysia, but where is the action?” Pinto believes the Rukun Negara should be more than words recited during national celebrations or printed on banners. “Bring back the Rukun Negara . Apply it nationwide,” he said. For him, this does not mean returning to the past. It means returning to the principles that can help Malaysians navigate the future. His vision has taken shape through Pasukan Muhibbah Rakyat, a movement built around strengthening civil society, serving poor communities, promoting racial harmony and supporting the social and economic advancement of Malaysians, particularly the B40. Its approach includes community programmes, collaboration between NGOs, elected representatives and local authorities, and Bangsa Malaysia roadshows that explore Malaysia’s pre- and post-Merdeka history and the significance of Hari Malaysia. Pinto insists that national unity is not a project with an end date. “National unity is not a project. National unity is a culture,” he said. He believes it is a culture built through experience, education and dialogue. And that work cannot be left solely to politicians. For Pinto, the test of unity is found in everyday life. He reduces the familiar conversation about the “three Rs” to two – rights and responsibilities. “We always talk about rights,” he said, adding that responsibility is where citizenship is truly tested.

Veteran activist hopes principles would not be merely remembered every August, but lived by Malaysians every day He recounted seeing visually impaired people waiting to cross a road while vehicles continued moving through the crossing. To him, it was not simply a traffic problem. It was a reminder that principles such as the rule of law and respect for others mean little if they are not practised. He said national values are tested not during grand celebrations, but in ordinary moments when nobody is watching. His concerns about unity also extend into Malaysian homes. Pinto worries that technology has gradually replaced conversations between family members, with people sitting around the same dining table while looking at their phones. Even during open houses, family members can end up communicating through WhatsApp despite being under the same roof, he added. “For me, how happy you are is about relationships,” he said. To him, unity begins with the ability to connect – first with family, then with neighbours and eventually with the community. “Your own home is where the first lesson in unity must begin.” Pinto also sees education as central to Malaysia’s future. He said young people who struggle academically, particularly after Form Three, should not be made to feel that their future has ended. “Don’t lose hope. There’s so much can be done.” He is a strong advocate of technical and vocational education and training (TVET), saying that Malaysia must recognise practical skills and give young people pathways to become more globally competitive.

For Pinto, the answer to what Merdeka means does not lie in flags, parades or speeches. – AMIRUL SYAFIQ/THESUN

He be measured only through conventional academic achievement. A young Malaysian who learns to build, repair, create or provide an essential service is contributing just as meaningfully to the country. His idea of nation-building is also grounded in small acts of community responsibility. He points to unused clothes, kitchen equipment and other household items that could be given to poor families rather than left forgotten in cupboards. He also speaks of connecting farmers directly with communities to reduce the impact of middlemen and help ease living costs. “As a society, everybody can do something,” he said. said success cannot

That philosophy also extends to his view of race and religion. Pinto said Malaysians should stop allowing labels to determine how they see one another. “It doesn’t matter what your label is, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Black or White, it doesn’t matter. Your behaviour does.” He said Malaysia’s diversity is not a weakness to be managed but a strength that can be demonstrated to a world increasingly divided by race and religion. “That is the real challenge, not race and religion.” At 77, Pinto does not see age as a reason to stop contributing. “If you love life and you love people, age will always give you a reason to wake up.” For him, that reason is Malaysia. “The traffic jam will always be there. The cost of living will always be there. But what is our purpose in life? Make other people’s lives better.” Perhaps that is where Pinto sees the spirit of Merdeka, not simply in remembering how Malaysia became free, but in asking what Malaysians will do with that freedom. A country in which differences become bridges rather than fault lines. Where a struggling student is given another chance. Where families still talk. Where communities share what they have. Where rights come with responsibilities. And where the Rukun Negara is not merely remembered every August, but lived every day. For Pinto, the work of building that Malaysia begins in the simplest place of all. With the man in the mirror.

At 77, Pinto does not see age as a reason to stop contributing. – AMIRUL SYAFIQ/THESUN