Snapshots towards 1Malaysia? Notes on identity representation in texts from The New Straits Times.

1Malaysia, a political slogan attached to governmental campaigns and policies since the start of Prime Minister Razak’s administration, has been the focus of much discussion over what it represents vis-à-vis Malaysia’s multi-ethnic population. This short paper considers the slogan within the context of six texts published in pro-governmental newspaper, The New Straits Times, and explores how identities are represented within them. Taken from August 2011 when the slogan was omnipresent around the country, they give an outline of how ethnic and national identities are framed within a print medium. Analyses reference past and present developments in Malaysian society to present a detailed snapshot from an authority-defined medium.Though limited in scope, the data and analysis of the paper lends itself to further study by researchers in related fields