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This article traces the post-colonial formation of the dominant discourse on national identity in Malaysia by examining texts on Malay language and culture written by Zainal Abidin bin Ahmad (Za'ba) in the 1950s. Za'ba is called the “Father of the Malay Language” and his texts are generally recognized as canon concerning the Malay language and Malay culture. The article first explains the associated theoretical discussions and outlines the previous research on the intellectual history of Malaysia, and then illustrates how the image of Malaysia as a multi-ethnic society was constructed in relation to colonialism. This latter part focuses on the image formation of Malaya from the viewpoint of language and culture. Finally, the article analyzes the tensions and ambiguity in Za'ba's texts on the Malay language, exploring how Za'ba's discussions influenced the national discourse, and also showing some of the potential flaws in the national discourse based on Za'ba's texts.