The explosive advent of radio technology in Malaysia was akin to the revolutionary introduction of the Internet in the 21st millennium and was instrumental in Malaysia's development during the tumultuous 1950s and 1960s. The end of World War II led the British to cede control of their former colonies, which presented Singapore and Malaysia with the difficult task of independence and self-government. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay This post-war period was rife with discord and conflict, while S. Rajaratnam's play, “A nation in the making,” was able to summarize the social, political and cultural environment that shaped the development of Malay identity. Presented from multiple perspectives, it tells a gripping story about the challenges and philosophies that plagued Malaysia at the time. One of the main sociocultural issues that emerged after World War II was the question of identity. As Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned: “The long-term survival of a country, especially a small one, depends to a large extent on a strong sense of identity. » When the Federation of Malaya gained independence from the British Commonwealth, approximately 49% and 38% of the population were split between Malays and Chinese respectively. There was a wide gap between a broad Malay identity and the communal identities of the Chinese, Indians and Malays. To quote the pessimist in the piece: “I don’t see any Malays. I see men from many worlds and many nations. I see faces of all colors. Faces looking at each other with silent incomprehension. Blank looks. Because they don’t understand each other.” This division is partly explained by the residual influence left by British colonialism. Direct colonial rule had brought European racial theory and constructed a social and economic order structured by “race”; society and jobs were stratified along racial lines in the name of labor efficiency. a unifying factor that brings the nation together. Even the Optimists recognized that nationalism was a relatively new concept, which, even on a global scale, had not really taken off. The views presented in the play also highlight the underlying political issues that have undermined the nation's efforts to achieve itself. - independence. To quote Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, "the prerequisite for Malay independence is the existence of a Malay society, not Malay, nor Malay Chinese, nor Malay Indian, nor Malay Eurasian, but Malay, a society that embraces the different races already present in the country. » Political parties have furiously contested this notion of “Malay society”. To begin with, there was no simple way to define it. The radio play suggests that the first step would be the establishment of a common language, a language that people of all races are expected to speak. This was meant to promote a nationalist mindset, as the population would have something in common to build around. And yet conflicts also arose. As mentioned in the fifth part of the piece, the decision of the Federation Government was to designate Malay as the official language. This not only caused great disagreement and feelings of oppression from other races, but also the Malay people themselves did not fully understand the reasons behind this situation. Some Malaysians reacted with a protectionist instinct to prevent.