“Bangun KL” or “Menteri Tidur”? Why Hannah Yeoh’s discounted coffee idea won’t fix KL’s traffic woes

 

THE Madani government had a “Eureka moment” for the perennial traffic woes in Kuala Lumpur: discounted Zus coffee for those travelling to the city centre earlier.

At least, that is the premise behind Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh’s Bangun KL (literally, Wake up, KL” initiative which encourages commuters to leave home earlier – preferably between 7am and 8am – in hopes of easing peak-hour congestion.

On paper, it sounds sensible; by spreading traffic from the estimated 1.2 million vehicles entering the Federal capital during working weekdays, the notorious jam during the peak hours (8am-9am) will be “significantly reduced”.

But as with most policies, the devil is in the details. And in this case, it’s not whether Malaysians are willing to wake up earlier but whether policymakers are fully awake to how Kuala Lumpur actually works.

For many commuters, there is no “earlier” left to shift into. If one were to arrive in the office at 7.30am with no access into the building when they are supposed to clock in for work at at 9am, what are they to do before that?

Spend money on “discounted” coffee that was overpriced to begin with when they could have just grabbed a cheaper meal at home, especially during this trying economic times?

And do we expect commuters to lose an hour or two of sleep each working day, just so traffic would be less congested during peak hours when Ministers like Yeoh have the luxury of being chauffeur-driven – sometimes with police escort – while they catch 40 winks or catch up with work during the commute?

Bangun KL assumes a level of flexibility that simply does not exist for a large portion of the workforce. It treats commuting patterns as a matter of personal choice when in reality they are shaped by systems that individuals have very limited control over.

How a Minister can come up with such an idea is simply astounding. It either shows lack of depth and experience in policy formulation or how disconnected the Segambut MP is with the hardship endured by city dwellers or both.

Kuala Lumpur’s traffic problem is not primarily behavioural, it is structural. This is why it needs structural remedy such as a policy to encourage employers to implement flexi working hours or work from home (WFH) or cheaper tolls or public transport fares if commuters travel outside peak periods.

These are issues that Yeoh could thrash out at the Cabinet with her colleagues such as the Human Resources Minister or Transport Minister (Anthony Loke Siew Fook who happens to be the DAP secretary-general while Yeoh herself is the party’s Deputy Sec-Gen).

If the best Yeoh can offer to overcome traffic woes is discounted coffee, then she deserves the moniker Menteri Tidur (sleeping Minister) for incompetence and being detached from the hardship of everyday KL-ites. – April 13, 2026

- focus malaysia