Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Malaysia#Alternate scripts

To ensure consistency in West Malaysian-related Wikipedia articles, I propose that infoboxes should consistently include Malay, Simplified Chinese, and Tamil with their respective romanizations.

What to include:

Malay (Rumi script) is the national and official language of Malaysia, as established by Article 152 of the Federal Constitution. It is the primary language used in government. Since it serves as the primary language of governance and formal communication, its inclusion in Wikipedia infoboxes should be on top of all other languages. Malay (Jawi Script) should also be included in Malaysia-related infoboxes because it is an official script in many states, such as Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang. Jawi has deep historical roots in for the Malay language, having been the primary script for Malay before colonial rule. It continues to be used in government and taught in schools. This should also apply to Sabah and Sarawak.

Simplified Chinese (简体中文) and Pinyin (汉语拼音) is used as the official writing system of Malaysia’s Chinese community, which constitutes a the second largest ethnicity. While Chinese is not an official language, Simplified Chinese is used as the medium of instruction in many Chinese-language primary schools and is used in the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC). Simplified Chinese is also used in Malaysian media, with major newspapers such as Sin Chew Daily, China Press, and Nanyang Siang Pau, as well as TV networks like 8TV and Astro AEC, broadcasting in Mandarin. Given its widespread use, the inclusion Simplified Chinese in Wikipedia infoboxes should be 2nd below Malay. This should also apply to Sabah and Sarawak.

Tamil (தமிழ்) and its romanization should be included as it is the primary language of the Indian Malaysian community, the third largest community in Malaysia. There are over 500 Tamil primary schools in Malaysia where it remains a strong medium of instruction. Tamil newspapers like Malaysia Nanban and Tamil Nesan serve the Tamil-speaking community. Including Tamil as the 3rd language below Simplified Chinese in Wikipedia infoboxes acknowledges its role as a major language in Malaysia. This is unnecessary Sabah and Sarawak due to a lack of a sizable Indian Malaysian community.

What not to include:

Traditional Chinese (繁體中文) should not be used in Malaysia-related infoboxes because Simplified Chinese is the standard script used by Malaysian Chinese speakers since 1981. Similarly to Singapore, where infoboxes do not include traditional Chinese characters, Mandarin education in Malaysia follows the Simplified Chinese system, and major newspapers, TV channels, and government translations primarily use Simplified Chinese. While some older generations and specific cultural or religious texts may use Traditional Chinese, it is not the dominant script. Standardizing Simplified Chinese ensures consistency and better accessibility for most Chinese-speaking Malaysians.

Chinese dialects and their romanizations should not be included in Malaysia-related infoboxes because they lack a standardized written form and are not commonly used in official contexts. While dialects like Hokkien, Cantonese, and Hakka are widely spoken among Malaysian Chinese communities, they are primarily oral languages. Written communication, media, and education in Malaysia predominantly use Mandarin in Simplified Chinese script. Guotaian (talk) 10:53, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

:Our previous discussions have reached a consensus on including by default just Rumi Malay and English. Malay is the only official language, and we include English because this is en.wiki. Additional languages are added when directly relevant to the subject, such as a BLP where the subject often uses a name in a different script. CMD (talk) 11:50, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

::However, most articles of places (eg. City, towns, states) have multiple languages. The standardization that I am suggesting should be practiced when it comes to their Infoboxes' language section. Guotaian (talk) 13:33, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

:::The usual standard is just Malay and English, if there are others you can remove them. CMD (talk) 15:46, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

::::I tried to do that but editors were not happy and blocked [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Guotaian&direction=prev&oldid=1259313140#October_2024%7Cblocked] me. I want set a clear consensus on languages. Guotaian (talk) 09:31, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

:::::The consensus on this goes back to at least 2011. It's best to raise it on talkpages if there is a dispute. CMD (talk) 09:38, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

::::::@HundenvonPenang Please explain why you did not follow this consensus and banned me for 1 month. Guotaian (talk) 10:18, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

:::::::It's probably because that George Town is an exception to all major cities (very likely Taiping would be another case), where Jawi usage is very limited, or perhaps little to none. gavre (al. PenangLion) (talk) 12:35, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

::::::::I understand that some areas of Malaysia has a higher percentage of Chinese or indians, but consensus should still be followed by only placing Malay (rumi and jawi) and English names only. Hello top 1123 (talk) 12:40, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

:::::::::The consensus is to remove Jawi. CMD (talk) 12:53, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

::::::::::Can other scripts (Jawi, Hanzi and Tamil) be included for religious places like mosques and temples? AyyanD (talk) 01:32, 25 February 2025 (UTC)

:::::::::::My reading of MOS:FOREIGNEQUIV would be that if a particular language/script is very relevant to an institution ("If the subject of the article is closely associated with"), then it should be included to help readers with identification. This should be easy enough to show by, for example, a picture of the institution showing its name prominently written in one or more languages. CMD (talk) 04:20, 25 February 2025 (UTC)

:::::::Coming from an editor who had been blocked twice (more recently for a [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3AGuotaian&diff=1276206523&oldid=1276182715 completely unrelated case]) for disregarding WP:CONS, this accusation made in bad faith isn't surprising. What was intriguing was the other account in support. Reported to WP:SPI. hundenvonPG (talk) 09:44, 23 February 2025 (UTC)

::::::::Well in honesty I disapprove with how sudden and very obstructive the change is, especially when the user in particular stampedes into the scene and tramples with the current structures. gavre (al. PenangLion) (talk) 06:52, 26 February 2025 (UTC)

:::::::::There are certain locations (such as the city centre of Penang) where its "official" English name isn't used as widely as its local names. Certain parts of the city are too fragmented, to the point where each ethnicity refers to the city centre in a completely different way (The Malays refer to it as "Tanjung", while the Chinese refers to it as "Phou-tae"). My suggestion, if such a removal be made, is to expand or create an "etymology" section just to strike a balance between these two issues. gavre (al. PenangLion) (talk) 06:56, 26 February 2025 (UTC)

::::::::::@Guotaian's mass removal of different names in the section certainly is the justified "standardisation" but it is a certain (or perhaps, a rather troubling) inconvenience when some of these locations are identified based on these names rather than the English name. I'm not pointing any fingers but I'm not very satisfied with the 2011 consensus. gavre (al. PenangLion) (talk) 06:59, 26 February 2025 (UTC)

:::::::::I, for one, am inclined to agree with PenangLion, particularly how so-called "consensus" was assumed (through bad faith accusations and sockpuppeteering).

:::::::::There isn't any hard and fast stipulation in MOS:PLACE, only that "languages with no particular present-day or historical ties to the place in question should not be listed as alternatives".

:::::::::WP:CCC, and massive Malaysia-wide changes would need more extensive discussions involving all active Malaysia-based editors, not just the ones in this section which misses out certain nuances regarding topics about Malaysia. hundenvonPG (talk) 07:35, 26 February 2025 (UTC)

::::::::::And as for @Guotaian he still went over. Cchww1384 (talk) 05:59, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

::::::::::If this many people disagree with the consensus then perhaps it's time to reassess the consensus. DervotNum4 (talk) 19:06, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

:I Agree, this is getting out of control, the placenames in Malaysia should prioritize Malay (both Jawi and Rumi) and English as well as indigenous languages of the country, the rest are not important. 60.50.34.175 (talk) 02:37, 26 May 2025 (UTC)

File:Ambox warning yellow.svg

The article :Tunku Laksamana Abdul Jalil Mosque has been proposed for deletion because of the following concern:

Notability, no sources.

While all constructive contributions to Wikipedia are appreciated, pages may be deleted for any of several reasons.

You may prevent the proposed deletion by removing the {{Tlc|proposed deletion/dated}} notice, but please explain why in your edit summary or on the article's talk page.

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:Just as a note, [https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2023/08/938078/sultan-ibrahims-personal-touch-new-mosque another mosque] is being built with this name, so sources might not refer to the PRODed one. CMD (talk) 07:28, 3 March 2025 (UTC)

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Per [https://anyflip.com/fscxt/zyks this information book], the complicated crest with the tiger is specifically the coat-of-arms of the city hall/local government, rather than the territory. (It does, after all, include the words "Dewan Bandaraya".) What it gives as the symbol of the city itself is the triple-hexagon seal. Does anyone have any other sources on this? If it's accurate, most uses of the tiger CoA likely should be switched out. (Or any sources on state/territory symbols in general, they seem hard to find.) CMD (talk) 10:08, 21 March 2025 (UTC)

The use of political party acronyms in the infobox of a Malaysian politician article, where the full name is already wikilinked, adds unnecessary information. According to the guidelines outlined in MOS:INFOBOXPURPOSE, {{tq|The less information that an infobox contains, the more effectively it serves its purpose}}. Adding an acronym next to a linked full name clutters the limited-width infobox while providing no additional understanding. The article on [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mahathir_Mohamad&oldid=1282703579 Mahathir] is a good example for Malaysian politician articles to follow.

Some that I wont able to describe more at the moment are, the usage flag in infobox ([https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wan_Azizah_Wan_Ismail&oldid=1281688114 here]; MOS:INFOBOXFLAG), small text on infobox ([https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anwar_Ibrahim&oldid=1282892991 here]; MOS:SMALL). While I’m aware I could boldly edit above-mentioned issues right now, I’ve been reverted in the past, such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anwar_Ibrahim&diff=1280083864&oldid=1279572063 here], and I’m hoping this will raise awareness of these issues and encourage more people to correct them. 183.171.114.182 (talk) 03:08, 30 March 2025 (UTC)

Fandi Ahmad has been nominated for a good article reassessment. If you are interested in the discussion, please participate by adding your comments to the reassessment page. If concerns are not addressed during the review period, the good article status may be removed from the article. Z1720 (talk) 02:19, 13 May 2025 (UTC)

Is this mosque really notable? If it is, please add reliable sources to this stub that has been tagged as unreferenced for 15 years and 7 months. If you do so this month, you can get points from the Wikipedia:WikiProject Unreferenced articles/Backlog drives/June 2025. Bearian (talk) 15:57, 2 June 2025 (UTC)

File:Ambox warning yellow.svg

The article :Saidina Uthman Bin Affan Mosque has been proposed for deletion because of the following concern:

Tagged as Unreferenced and unimproved for 15 and 1/2 years. No other language has a properly sourced article from which to translate. It seems to be a run of the mill mosque. Possibly a copyvio, based upon the creator's other edits.

While all constructive contributions to Wikipedia are appreciated, pages may be deleted for any of several reasons.

You may prevent the proposed deletion by removing the {{Tlc|proposed deletion/dated}} notice, but please explain why in your edit summary or on the article's talk page.

Please consider improving the page to address the issues raised. Removing {{Tlc|proposed deletion/dated}} will stop the proposed deletion process, but other deletion processes exist. In particular, the speedy deletion process can result in deletion without discussion, and articles for deletion allows discussion to reach consensus for deletion. Bearian (talk) 16:03, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

File:Ambox warning yellow.svg

The article :Semarak has been proposed for deletion because of the following concern:

Tagged as Unreferenced and unimproved for 15 and 1/2 years. No other language has a sourced article from which to translate. It seems to be a run of the mill square. Possibly a copyvio.

While all constructive contributions to Wikipedia are appreciated, pages may be deleted for any of several reasons.

You may prevent the proposed deletion by removing the {{Tlc|proposed deletion/dated}} notice, but please explain why in your edit summary or on the article's talk page.

Please consider improving the page to address the issues raised. Removing {{Tlc|proposed deletion/dated}} will stop the proposed deletion process, but other deletion processes exist. In particular, the speedy deletion process can result in deletion without discussion, and articles for deletion allows discussion to reach consensus for deletion. Bearian (talk) 15:59, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

File:Ambox warning yellow.svg

The article :Setia Tropika has been proposed for deletion because of the following concern:

Tagged as Unreferenced and unimproved for 15 and 1/2 years. No other language has a reliably sourced article from which to translate. Appears to be a resort community of some sort. Not opposed to a redirect.

While all constructive contributions to Wikipedia are appreciated, pages may be deleted for any of several reasons.

You may prevent the proposed deletion by removing the {{Tlc|proposed deletion/dated}} notice, but please explain why in your edit summary or on the article's talk page.

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File:Ambox warning yellow.svg

The article :Kesatuan Melayu United Kingdom has been proposed for deletion because of the following concern:

Tagged as Unreferenced and unimproved for 15 and 1/2 years. No other language has a reliably sourced article from which to translate.

While all constructive contributions to Wikipedia are appreciated, pages may be deleted for any of several reasons.

You may prevent the proposed deletion by removing the {{Tlc|proposed deletion/dated}} notice, but please explain why in your edit summary or on the article's talk page.

Please consider improving the page to address the issues raised. Removing {{Tlc|proposed deletion/dated}} will stop the proposed deletion process, but other deletion processes exist. In particular, the speedy deletion process can result in deletion without discussion, and articles for deletion allows discussion to reach consensus for deletion. Bearian (talk) 18:36, 18 June 2025 (UTC)

:This is probably a notable topic (I found [https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2017/11/302272/postcard-zaharah-toast-history-inn] regarding key members), although I'm mostly finding very short mentions. CMD (talk) 00:56, 19 June 2025 (UTC)

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File:Information.svg There is a requested move discussion at Talk:United Kingdom–European Union relations#Requested move 20 June 2025 that may be of interest to members of this WikiProject. --MikutoH ^talk! 21:58, 20 June 2025 (UTC)