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Nominator: HundenvonPenang (talk · contribs)

Reviewer: ZKang123 (talk · contribs) 09:32, 26 March 2024 (UTC) Reviewing per request. I hope I'll have enough time to look thoroughly.[reply]

Preliminary spot checks

• I'm unsure about the copyright status of the flag and insignia. They seem to be copyrighted under Malaysian law.
  • The Commons file appears to be in public domain. There is the Malaysian Copyright Act 1987, but flags of subnational divisions (states and federal territories) are exempt (having gone through the Commons files for other such flags). hundenvonPG (talk) 12:49, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  • I checked with a few others. Malaysian government works are only copyrighted for 50 years, so by now any copyright of these two should have long expired. Though the new insignia is from 1988... unless it's considered a derivative of the original...--ZKang123 (talk) 13:34, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
    • Quite possibly, seeing the heraldry being largely similar to the flag (though I'm no legal expert). The other thing was, by comparison, the insignias for Sabah and Sarawak, and the Federal Territories flag were adopted after 1987 (much more recent theoretically-speaking, but most likely they are in public use in a similar sense, hence them being in Commons). hundenvonPG (talk) 14:45, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• Earwig showed no immediate issues.

Lead

• "on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait." -> "along the Malacca Strait" and remove comma.
  •  Fixed hundenvonPG (talk) 12:49, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "RM451 billion" -> Include Template:ToUSD value.
  •  Fixed Added template in sentence. hundenvonPG (talk) 12:49, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "primarily through the Penang International Airport, the nation's third busiest." I find this statement a little unclear. Do you mean like goods imported/exported through the airport? Also busiest in terms of what?
  •  Fixed Thanks for pointing out the oversight. In actual fact, PIA is third busiest in passenger traffic. Rewritten as such: "primarily through the Penang International Airport which is also the nation's third busiest in passenger traffic" hundenvonPG (talk) 12:49, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

More to come.--ZKang123 (talk) 09:32, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Hey ZKang123. Glad to see your feedback. Will be making amendments as we go along. hundenvonPG (talk) 12:49, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

History

• I say the "Prehistory" and "Early history" sections are short enough to be merged under "Early history".
  •  Fixed Concurred. Each was just a para long. Merged both under "Early history". hundenvonPG (talk) 14:45, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "The Cherok Tok Kun megalith, uncovered at Bukit Mertajam in 1845, features Pali inscriptions that suggest the Hindu-Buddhist Bujang Valley civilisation, which was based in present-day Kedah, had established its authority over certain parts of Seberang Perai by the 6th century."
  • I felt this chunk should be rewritten to focus more on the fact that the civilisation had authority on the island. Like: "Pali inscriptions on the Cherok Tok Kun megalith suggest the Hindu-Buddhist Bujang Valley civilisation, which was based in present-day Kedah, had authority over certain parts of Seberang Perai by the 6th century."
    •  Fixed Rewritten as per suggestion to put focus on the mainland being part of Bujang Valley. Though there isn't archaeological evidence of the island coming under that civilisation. hundenvonPG (talk) 14:45, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Is it known why even after independence, Malaysia still maintains the annual payments? Seems like a future rabbit hole of research... Especially I heard about disputes between Kedah and Penang.
  • To my knowledge, this is rather opaque. I haven't come across publications touching on the "why". Only that the payments continue to this day (they are made by the federal government, not the Penang state government). On another note, it has inflamed relations between the two states (Kedah persistently demanding larger annual payments and laying claim on Penang, which in the current political climate is easily turned into "ammunition" by the opposing parties governing both states). hundenvonPG (talk) 14:45, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "taking maritime trade from Dutch posts in the region" – "diverting maritime commerce away from Dutch outposts in the area."
  •  Fixed Rephrased as per suggestion. hundenvonPG (talk) 14:45, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "By 1808, a local government for George Town was in place, whilst the establishment of the Supreme Court of Penang marked the birth of Malaysia's modern judiciary." – "By 1808, George Town had established its local government, while the founding of the Supreme Court of Penang marked the birth of Malaysia's modern judiciary."
  •  Fixed Rephrased as per suggestion. hundenvonPG (talk) 14:45, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "In 1826, Penang, Singapore and Malacca were incorporated into the Straits Settlements, with George Town as the capital. However, Singapore soon supplanted George Town as Southeast Asia's premier entrepôt. In 1832, Singapore replaced George Town as the capital of the Straits Settlements."
  • Suggest shortening and merging this part to the previous paragraph (or the latter paragraph).
  • "In 1826, Penang was the capital of the Straits Settlements which included Singapore and Malacca. As Singapore soon supplanted George Town as the region's premier entrepôt, Singapore became the capital instead in 1832."
  •  Fixed Rephrased and merged with previous para as per suggestion. hundenvonPG (talk) 14:45, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "The population growth also created social problems, such as inadequate sanitation and health facilities, as well as rampant crime, with the latter culminating in street violence and rioting in 1867."
  • "However, the population growth created social problems such as inadequate sanitation, health facilities, and rampant crime, culminating in street violence and rioting in 1867."
    •  Fixed Rephrased as per suggestion. hundenvonPG (talk) 14:45, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "Sun, in particular, chose George Town as the headquarters for the Tongmenghui in Southeast Asia". I don't think the rest of the sentence is as relevant in the scope of this article. But I would elaborate a bit of how the Tongmenghui was an anti-Qing republican organisation, and add when Sun chose George Town as headquarters.
  •  Fixed Point taken. Rewritten sentence, making it succinct and more towards Tongmenghui's role in overthrowing the Qing dynasty. hundenvonPG (talk) 14:45, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

More to come.--ZKang123 (talk) 13:19, 26 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• For ref 51, is there a better source to attribute to the sentence about Penang's involvement in WW1?
  •  Fixed Concurred. Replaced with Andrew Barber's cite. hundenvonPG (talk) 15:50, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "on 19 December 1941, after suffering days of aerial attacks." "on 19 December 1941 after daily aerial attacks."
  •  Fixed Rephrased as per suggestion. hundenvonPG (talk) 15:50, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "was put to use as a major submarine base" – "was converted/reused/used as a..."
  •  Fixed Rephrased to "converted". hundenvonPG (talk) 15:50, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "After Japan's surrender, British marines launched Operation Jurist on 3 September 1945 to retake Penang Island, making George Town the first settlement in Malaya to be liberated from the Japanese."
  • This sentence is a bit odd; I understand it's more of the British reassuming control from the Japanese government.
  • "Following Japan's surrender, George Town was the first Malayan settlement liberated by British marines through Operation Jurist on 3 September 1945."
    •  Fixed Rephrased similarly. Though according to Barber's book, British forces that participated were still uncertain at that point (days after the surrender) if the Japanese would put up resistance. The marines were to call in naval gun support if resistance was encountered, only to find a disciplined Japanese handover upon landing. hundenvonPG (talk) 15:50, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Also ref 52 "Barber, Andrew (2010). Penang At War : A History of Penang During and Between the First and Second World Wars 1914–1945. AB&B. ISBN 9789834337230." – it would further benefit if you are able to provide the page numbers through inline citations.
  •  Fixed As per below. hundenvonPG (talk) 15:50, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "This made George Town the first city within the Federation of Malaya, and by extension, Malaysia. " – This sentence requires attribution
  •  Fixed Shifted citation from Wong to the end of the sentence. hundenvonPG (talk) 15:50, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "George Town was a free port since colonial times, but its status was rescinded by the Malaysian federal government in 1969." – "George Town's status as a free port was rescinded by the..."
  •  Fixed Rephrased as per suggestion. hundenvonPG (talk) 15:50, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "the then Chief Minister Lim Chong Eu " – Remove "the then"
  •  Fixed hundenvonPG (talk) 15:50, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Similarly for ref 49 "Daniel Goh, P. S. (2014). "Between History and Heritage: Post-Colonialism, Globalisation, and the Remaking of Malacca, Penang and Singapore" (PDF). Trans-Regional and -National Studies of Southeast Asia.", please also provide page numbers to the various attributions.
• In fact I say most of the book sources used throughout the article needs page numbers.
  •  Fixed As per below. hundenvonPG (talk) 15:50, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "masterminded the creation of" – would just say "established"
  •  Fixed Rephrased as per suggestion. hundenvonPG (talk) 15:50, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "However, persistent brain drain, exacerbated by federal policies that favoured the development of Kuala Lumpur, meant that Penang was no longer at the forefront of the country's economy by the 21st century.[49][67] This, coupled with the deteriorating state of affairs in general, such as incoherent urban planning, poor traffic management and the dilapidation of George Town's heritage enclave due to the repeal of the Rent Control Act in 2001, led to simmering discontent within Penang's society"
  • "Persistent brain drain, aggravated by federal policies prioritizing the growth of Kuala Lumpur, resulted in Penang losing its leading position in the national economy by the 21st century. This decline, compounded by various issues including incoherent urban planning, poor traffic management and the dilapidation of George Town's historic district following the repeal of the Rent Control Act in 2001, contributed to growing dissatisfaction within Penang society."
  •  Fixed Sounds good. Rewritten para. hundenvonPG (talk) 15:50, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• For the paragraph: "In response, George Town's civil societies..." reword to: "In response, civil societies in George Town mobilized public support to rejuvenate the city. Resentment against the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration led to the Pakatan Rakyat bloc (now Pakatan Harapan) rising to power through the 2008 state elections. Efforts to preserve George Town's heritage architecture led to the city's historical core being designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008/that year."
  •  Fixed Likewise, rewritten para. hundenvonPG (talk) 15:50, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Any further history since 2008?
  • In terms of pivotal events, not much. From this resident's perspective, it's more of a period of economic growth and stability; 2008 was the last watershed moment. Penang didn't experience the kind of political turbulence that affected many other states following the 2020–2022 Malaysian political crisis. hundenvonPG (talk) 15:50, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

More to come for the subsequent sections. Please bear in mind to provide page numbers for book sources.--ZKang123 (talk) 05:24, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

•  Fixed Thanks for pointing out too. I've revamped book citations accordingly, with pages added. Do let me know if there is any that needs more tweaking. hundenvonPG (talk) 15:50, 27 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Geography

Continued.

• Penang is the second smallest state in Malaysia by size after Perlis, with a total land area of just 1,049 km2 (405 sq mi).
  • Reword to: With a total land area of only 1,049 km2 (405 sq mi), Penang is the second smallest state in Malaysia after Perlis.
    •  Fixed Rewritten as suggested. hundenvonPG (talk) 02:20, 29 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• I think it will be better to cite the various land area data from the Malaysia government website or state government.
  •  Fixed Citations from Penang Institute and the National University of Malaysia added to land area data. hundenvonPG (talk) 02:20, 29 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "The state is roughly divided by the Penang Strait, which measures is only a mere 3 km (1.9 mi) wide at the narrowest point."
  • Given Penang Island is 295 km2 and Seberang Perai is 748 km2, I won't say "roughly divided", as it quite implies they are almost nicely divided (400 and 600).
    •  Fixed Point taken. Rewritten as per suggestion. hundenvonPG (talk) 02:20, 29 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  • Might also add a fact on the strait "widest point". I think whats important is to highlight like the average width of the Strait.
    •  Fixed Data on the strait is scarce, but there is a source on its largest width. "Widest point" info added into the sentence with the citation. hundenvonPG (talk) 02:20, 29 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "On the other hand, the city of Seberang Perai covers the whole mainland half of Penang."
  • Eh, from the map below, Seberang Perai seems to cover only a bit of the mainland half... Also I need the exact page number of ref 84.
    •  Fixed Page number added for ref 84. It's more of a graphical representation though, not an actual map. hundenvonPG (talk) 02:20, 29 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
    • Seberang Perai indeed covers the whole mainland portion, though I haven't had an idea to really depict it on the map (aside from maybe enlarging the font?). There isn't like a method to make curved labels on WP pushpin maps, for example. hundenvonPG (talk) 02:20, 29 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "The capital city of George Town encompasses the entirety of Penang Island"
  • Similarly I would at most say along the west coast of Penang Island... Also "capital city" -> "state capital"
    •  Fixed Rephrased to "state capital". Although de facto, George Town as an administrative unit/city does cover the whole island and the surrounding islets. hundenvonPG (talk) 02:20, 29 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "within the state" – "of the state"
  •  Fixed Rephrased likewise. hundenvonPG (talk) 02:20, 29 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• ", land reclamation projects have been undertaken at high-demand areas." such as? Also it would help to indicate such areas on a map.
  •  Fixed Added "particularly along the island's east coast" into the sentence, as per the two citations. While much of the areas where reclamation was carried out weren't explicitly stated, two stood out: Seri Tanjung Pinang and Andaman Island. In the map, the former is too close to Tanjong Tokong and may make both labels less legible, but Andaman Island has been indicated. hundenvonPG (talk) 02:20, 29 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "Penang features" – "Penang has"
  •  Fixed Rephrased as per suggestion. hundenvonPG (talk) 02:20, 29 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• " a tropical rainforest climate, under the" – remove comma
  •  Fixed hundenvonPG (talk) 02:20, 29 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• I don't think that table indicating Temperature (day), (night) etc is necessary. Also the climate chart basically repeats the same information.
  •  Fixed Concurred. Removeed both the table and the chart. hundenvonPG (talk) 02:20, 29 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "The central hills of Penang Island, including Penang Hill, are an important green lung for George Town." – not sure if its from the source. The word "green lung" sounds rather promotional.
  •  Fixed Agreed with this too. Removed prose. hundenvonPG (talk) 02:20, 29 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

More to come.--ZKang123 (talk) 12:31, 28 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Governance and politics

• I don't see much problems with this section. Rather well-written.
• "based primarily on commerce and trade, rather than agriculture" – remove comma
  •  Fixed hundenvonPG (talk) 10:26, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "Since the 2008 state election, the DAP, part of the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, has been the single largest party in the state's legislature, thereby holding the position of the head of government." – this last part should have a citation. Tbh, this sentence doesn't make as much sense; a party cannot hold the position of the head of government.
  •  Fixed Noted on this. Removed prose entirely, as there isn't any restriction on whichever party (from within any coalition) appointed to lead the government. hundenvonPG (talk) 10:26, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• I'm unsure of the use of "far right" to describe PN.
  •  Fixed In fact, PN (and its major component PAS) has been described either as "far right", "right wing" or "moving to the far right" by The Diplomat, The Edge and James Chai at ISEAS. The degree of how far right that coalition is may be ambigious, but certainly their consistent right-wing ethnocentric agenda isn't. Replaced "far right" with "right wing". hundenvonPG (talk) 10:26, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• I think the small table of the percentage of party seats is unnecessary.
  •  Fixed Agreed. Table removed. hundenvonPG (talk) 10:26, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "After Pakatan Rakyat (predecessor to the present-day Pakatan Harapan) was voted into power in 2008" – no need the bracketed portion since it was explained earlier.
  •  Fixed Removed prose in parentheses. hundenvonPG (talk) 10:26, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "Moreover, George Town is twinned with five sister cities and six friendship cities, while Seberang Perai has formed partnerships with one sister city and one friendship city. " – needs citation
  •  Fixed This was actually based on the list of sister cities within the respective city articles, but point taken. Removed sentence. hundenvonPG (talk) 10:26, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Demographics

• Suggest splitting the first sentence.
  • "Penang, with a population of 1,740,405 as of 2020" – "As of 2020, the population of Penang was 1,740,405."
  • "has the highest population density of all Malaysian states (excluding the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya), at 1,659/km2 (4,300/sq mi)." – "With a population density of 1,659/km2 (4,300/sq mi), Penang has the highest population density of all Malaysian states."
  • I might exclude the mention of the Federal Territories since from my understanding they aren't exactly states right?
    •  Fixed Concurred. Sentence split as per suggestion and Federal Territories omitted; technically the FT aren't states to begin with. hundenvonPG (talk) 10:26, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "Due to its more compact land area, the city's population density of 2,595.8/km2 (6,723/sq mi) was double that of Seberang Perai." – need citation
  • Also "Due to its more compact land area, George Town has twice the population density of Seberang Perai at [value]"
    •  Fixed Rephrased as per suggestion and shifted census citation to the end of the sentence. hundenvonPG (talk) 10:26, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

. More to come.--ZKang123 (talk) 03:11, 2 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• "while ethnic Indians made up nearly 9% of the state's populace." – "of the state's populace" is unnecessary.
  •  Fixed Removed "of the state's populace" hundenvonPG (talk) 03:24, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "remains a Chinese-majority city with over half of its population being Chinese as of 2020." – "with over half of its population being Chinese" I felt like already saying George Town is Chinese-majority quite implies that fact. Unless you give a firm percentage.
  •  Fixed Noted on this. Trimmed down sentence as such: "Chinese comprised over 51% of George Town's population". hundenvonPG (talk) 03:24, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Btw for the language subsection, does the Penang state constitution state the official language(s)? Might mention it first.
  •  Fixed As per below. Interesting side note: the online copy of the constitution is in both Malay & English. hundenvonPG (talk) 03:24, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "where the major languages commonly in use..." – "where Malay, English, Hokkien, Mandarin and Tamil are widely spoken."
  •  Fixed Rephrased as per suggestion hundenvonPG (talk) 03:24, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "encouraged its use among some within the Chinese and Indian" – "encouraged its adoption by the Chinese and Indian..."
  •  Fixed Ditto, rephrased. hundenvonPG (talk) 03:24, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Oh I see that Malay as the official language shown later. I would suggest talking about the status of the Malay language as the official state language first in this language subsection, then mention the other major languages spoken.
  •  Fixed Moved prose on the status of Malay to the second para in the section, ahead of the other languages. hundenvonPG (talk) 03:24, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "to have set up a dedicated department" – "to have a dedicated department."
  •  Fixed Rephrased too. hundenvonPG (talk) 03:24, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• " is a prime example of the peaceful coexistence of various religions in Penang." – This part is rather unecyclopedic. I think it's fine to mention Phil Street as where many various places of worship are located, however, and I will keep the street's nickname. Suggest rephrasing
  •  Fixed Point taken; sentence sounded quite odd at first. Trimmed down sentence: "... houses multiple places of worship belonging to Muslim, Taoist, Hindu and Christian communities, all located in close proximity to each other". hundenvonPG (talk) 03:24, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

More to come.--ZKang123 (talk) 02:14, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• "formed the Penang Harmony Corporation as a means to further enhance" – remove "as a means"
  •  Fixed "as a means" removed hundenvonPG (talk) 06:34, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Economy

• "tiny size" -> small size
  •  Fixed hundenvonPG (talk) 06:34, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Add ToUSD values for all RM currency mentions
  •  Fixed hundenvonPG (talk) 06:34, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "second highest among Malaysian states" – I'm guessing number one goes to Sarawak?
  • Yes, in terms of states (FTs excluded), Sarawak is the highest. Trimmed sentences to just "the second highest among Malaysian states after Sarawak". hundenvonPG (talk) 06:34, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "was a time when George Town" - no need "a time"
  •  Fixed Removed "a time" hundenvonPG (talk) 06:34, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "Under Lim's leadership" – also suggest deleting. I think its clear the developments were under his tenure.
  •  Fixed Removed "Under Lim's leadership" hundenvonPG (talk) 06:34, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• "The state's gold and jewellery industry originates from the founding of the Penang Goldsmith Association in 1832. Jewellery from Penang is exported to over 20 foreign markets, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Canada and the United States. " – sentence needs citation.
  •  Fixed Moved attributed 'The Star' citation to the end of sentence. hundenvonPG (talk) 06:34, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• " influential personalities" – "important people"
  •  Fixed Rephrased as per suggestion hundenvonPG (talk) 06:34, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• I think the mining and agriculture subsections can just be merged into the manufacturing subsection.
  •  Fixed Removed mining and agriculture subsections, as they're at most just two to three sentences long; GDP-wise, their share is dwarfed by services and manufacturing. hundenvonPG (talk) 06:34, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

More to come.--ZKang123 (talk) 05:45, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

GA review (see here for what the criteria are, and here for what they are not)
It is reasonably well written. a (prose, spelling, and grammar): b (MoS for lead, layout, word choice, fiction, and lists): It is factually accurate and verifiable. a (references): b (citations to reliable sources): c (OR): d (copyvio and plagiarism): It is broad in its coverage. a (major aspects): b (focused): It follows the neutral point of view policy. Fair representation without bias: It is stable. No edit wars, etc.: It is illustrated by images, where possible and appropriate. a (images are tagged and non-free images have fair use rationales): b (appropriate use with suitable captions):
Overall: Pass/Fail:
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