14/04/2026

TUESDAY | APR 14, 2026

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Chaos landed, Makcik said relax T HERE comes a point in life where everything unravels – violently, ungracefully and with zero warning – like your last kuih lapis on a hot plate. garang energy, plant yourself firmly in the eye of that storm and sip your teh-o-ais-limau like the absolute legend you were born to be. Right then. Let Makcik walk you through it – step by magnificently passive aggressive step. dramatic hand to forehead, slow-slide down the wall, everything. Instead, pause, breathe and ask yourself what actually needs doing right now versus what can wait until your blood pressure is below category five.

and defended with ferocity. So, say no, cancel the plan and mute the group chat – especially the one with 47 unread forwarded voice notes. Ignore the fifth cousin requesting a “small loan” while your own budget is doing yoga stretches just to survive the month. Even the world’s most critical shipping routes have boundaries. Don’t let people turn you into an open port for absolute nonsense. Step 7: This storm will pass. It always does Yes, yes – it is on the motivational mug, the Facebook poster and your auntie’s WhatsApp status with the sunrise emoji. But it is true, no storm has lasted forever – not in nature, not in geopolitics and not in your life. You have survived 100% of your worst days to date. Look at you. Still standing. Still sarcastic. Still fabulous, somehow. This one? You’ll get through it too. Possibly with mismatched socks, mascara down your face and zero grace whatsoever – but you will get through it. Being calm doesn’t mean being emotionless. It means being focused when everything is on fire around you. It means being the Makcik at the warung who still wipes the table with full commitment even though there is a screaming baby, a broken kipas , no more cooking gas and petrol prices have just naik again, purely for dramatic effect. You are the calm. You are the eye of the storm. And also, when absolutely necessary, the thunder. Now sit up straight, adjust your crown (or tudung, whatever applies) and take on this glorious mess – calmly, stylishly and with a side-eye that could stop traffic. Sekian . Storm on – but make it fabulous. Azura Abas is the executive editor of theSun. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

Layer by messy, humiliating layer. You lose your job, your ex resurfaces like a blocked drain after heavy rain and your car breaks down on the Federal Highway during peak hour, naturally. Your boss fires off a 4pm email in full caps – “URGENT!!!” – as if the subject line alone will resurrect your will to live. Your child auditions for a horror film by performing a full tantrum in the middle of a shopping mall in the city centre, complete with floor routine. And that last piece of fried chicken you were saving? Gone – eaten by the legendary “I didn’t touch it” ghost who has apparently been living rent-free in your home since 2009. Welcome, sayang , to the storm. And not just your personal storm; the world outside is also doing the absolute most, completely unprompted. One minute you are calculating petrol budget like a responsible adult with a spreadsheet. The next, headlines are screaming about supply shocks, geopolitical tensions and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz – that suspiciously tiny stretch of water that somehow has your wallet in a chokehold. Aiyoh . Global chaos outside, personal catastrophe inside. Double combo meal, no fries, no loyalty points and no receipt. This is life’s little way of saying: “Oh, you thought ONE drama was enough? Cute.” And so you have two choices: sprint around like a headless ayam screaming, “Why is this happening to me!” into the universe’s completely unbothered face. Or – channel your inner Zen, sprinkle in some Makcik M A R I N A B Y A

Even nations don’t react blindly when things go sideways at the Strait of Hormuz. They assess, strategise and move deliberately. You can do exactly the same – minus the press conference – plus nasi lemak . Come back when you are human again. Step 4: Do NOT catch other people’s panic. It is not yours People will arrive at your door – emotionally flapping, dramatically monologuing, full “What-are-we-going-to-do” energy. Listen carefully: just because someone lobs their panic at you does not mean you are obligated to catch it. You are not a buy-one free-one deal for existential crises. Smile, nod, offer tissues and maintain your composure like a duck – serene on the surface, legs going absolutely berserk underneath but face? Calm. Cute. Unbothered. You are not everyone’s emotional recycle bin, okay? Okay. Step 5: Laugh, cackle, even. It is genuinely that absurd Your car is dead, your cat peed in your shoes, your ceiling is auditioning for Titanic 2 and petrol prices are apparently doing CrossFit. At this point, the only dignified response is to laugh – loudly, witchily, like someone who has seen things and survived them anyway. Storms cannot fully conquer a person who still finds the whole situation completely ridiculous. That is not weakness; that is power, darling. Step 6: Protect your peace like it is the last serving of sambal tumis Peace is not stumbled upon; it is built, guarded

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Step 1: Acknowledge the chaos. Stop lying to yourself Drop the “I’m fine” performance immediately. Your eye is

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twitching. Your soul has not just left the chat – it has blocked the number, deleted the app and moved to Langkawi. You are NOT fine and everyone can see it, babe. It is perfectly acceptable to declare: “I am overwhelmed. This is too much. If one more person asks me when I’m free, I will become a person of concern.” Even global markets don’t pretend everything is rosy when major shipping routes get threatened – so why are you sitting there telling people your completely collapsing schedule is “manageable”? Acknowledge the storm. You cannot bail water if you are still insisting the boat isn’t sinking. Step 2: Breathe like you just dodged your mum’s flying selipar Inhale – four counts. Hold – four counts. Exhale – six counts, nice and slow. Breathe out the unpaid bills, the toxic people, the passive-aggressive colleagues who reply all for sport and the fuel prices that naik every time you have just filled your tank. This won’t fix your problems but it will stop you from becoming the problem. We have enough breaking news already, thank you. Step 3: Choose your response. Not your unhinged reaction Resist the urge for the full telenovela collapse – A B A S

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WFH may ease traffic pressure but for how long?

steps in this direction. PLUS Malaysia has been trialling ANPR-linked features via its JustGo app along the Hutan Kampung– Sungai Dua stretch, enabling more flexible, lane-agnostic payment options. While still limited in scope, such efforts demonstrate how technology can reduce friction and ease congestion. There is an urgent need, therefore, to bring ANPR/MLFF technology across Malaysia, especially Kuala Lumpur and the wider Klang Valley. The economic case is equally compelling. The North-South Highway is a key national artery and reducing delays at toll points can lower logistics costs, improve connectivity and support the more efficient movement of goods and people. These gains will be particularly important as Malaysia navigates the post-crisis recovery period. Which raises a simple question: Why is such technology not being deployed more widely in the areas where congestion is most acute and the benefits most immediate? Crises are often described as opportunities. The current global situation has prompted Malaysians to think more seriously about energy use, mobility and resilience. Planning ahead will not eliminate congestion entirely but it can make the next surge far more manageable. Shuib Mohd Yaakob Kuala Lumpur

LETTERS letters@thesundaily.com

PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement that Malaysia’s public sector and GLCs will embark on work-from-home (WFH) arrangements underscores the seriousness of the global energy crisis triggered by the West Asian conflict. One can debate its effectiveness but it signals that the government is being proactive and leading from the front. Transport Minister Anthony Loke has already declared that Malaysia is in “crisis mode” following the war in Iran. The impact on ordinary Malaysians is clear, from higher fuel and food prices to mounting inflationary pressure and potential strain on infrastructure. The shift towards WFH inevitably brings back memories of the pandemic, when roads were largely empty. Yet, the more relevant lesson lies in what happened after. Once restrictions were lifted, traffic returned quickly and, in many cases, worsened. The TomTom Traffic Index found that by May 2022, congestion in Kuala Lumpur had already exceeded pre pandemic levels following the easing of WFH arrangements and the reopening of schools. A June 2021 McKinsey report similarly observed increased car usage during the pandemic, even among public transport users. There is little reason to expect a

different outcome this time. When the current crisis stabilises and WFH arrangements are scaled back, traffic across the Klang Valley and other major urban centres is likely to surge again. The scale of this challenge should not be underestimated. During Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2025, the Malaysian Highway Authority estimated more than 3.49 million vehicles on major highways during peak travel days. This offers a glimpse of the pressure our road network faces when mobility rebounds. If such a surge is almost inevitable, the more pressing question is whether we are preparing for it. One area worth closer attention is the management of bottlenecks, particularly at toll plazas. Technologies such as automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR), which underpin the broader multilane free-flow (MLFF) concept, can play a meaningful role in improving traffic flow. For example, the use of AI-driven licence plate recognition systems linked to online payment options can help address this problem. The endgame will be to remove the plazas altogether, the way Singapore does with their electronic road pricing (ERP) – in effect the multilane fast-flow (MLFF) that we have all been hearing about. There have already been early

Technologies such as ANPR, which underpin the broader MLFF concept, can play a meaningful role in improving traffic flow. – SUNPIC