▁followed ▁by ▁the ▁British — re defined ▁the ▁meaning ▁of ▁' Mal ay ' ▁and ▁' Mal ay ness ', ▁setting ▁boundaries ▁legit im ised ▁by ▁rules ▁of ▁law ▁and ▁policies , ▁thus ▁elev ating ▁it ▁to ▁a ▁' n ation '. ▁After ▁the ▁establishment ▁of ▁the ▁Stra its ▁S ett lement s ▁in ▁ 1 8 2 4 , ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁a ▁Mal ay ▁eth nic ity ▁gradually ▁became ▁' Mal ay ▁nation ', ▁an ▁identity ▁that ▁was ▁accepted ▁by ▁both ▁the ▁colonial ▁power ▁and ▁the ▁Malays ▁themselves , ▁primarily ▁as ▁the ▁result ▁of ▁the ▁growing ▁presence ▁of ▁others ▁who ▁were ▁either ▁European ▁or ▁Chinese . ▁As ▁early ▁as ▁the ▁ 1 8 4 0 s , ▁the ▁writer ▁Abd ul lah ▁Mun sh i ▁used ▁the ▁term ▁Bang sa ▁Mel ay u ▁(' Mal ay ▁nation '), ▁and ▁that ▁term ▁gradually ▁entered ▁the ▁public ▁sphere . ▁The ▁ 1 8 9 1 ▁colonial ▁census ▁recogn ised ▁three ▁ra cial ▁categories , ▁namely , ▁Chinese , ▁T amil , ▁and ▁Mal ay . ▁With ▁increased ▁imm igration ▁of ▁Chinese ▁and ▁Indian ▁labour ▁to ▁Mal aya ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 0 0 s , ▁a ▁pl ural ▁society ▁was ▁established , in ▁which ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁Mal ay ▁as ▁a ▁nation ▁became ▁fixed ▁and ▁ind el ible . ▁ ▁Dec ol on isation ▁and ▁modern ▁period ▁ ▁Mal ay ▁national ism , ▁which ▁developed ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 0 0 s , ▁had ▁a ▁cultural ▁rather ▁than ▁a