Frustrated Malaysian Builds Free Web-Based TuJu Alternative Called ‘Lapan’

The initiative follows the federal government's directive prohibiting civil servants from using the Israeli-founded application Waze during official working hours.

Citing data security risks and foreign legal jurisdiction, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim urged civil servants and motorists to adopt TuJu, a homegrown mobile application developed jointly by the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) and Prosignal Consortium Sdn Bhd.

The unexpected downtime left thousands of motorists without reliable local navigation, sparking widespread criticism across social media platforms.

Rather than join the chorus of public complaints, Malaysian developer Alan Chung decided to address the shortfall directly.

Sharing his work on Facebook, Chung introduced Lapan Malaysia, a lightweight, web-based mapping portal that operates straight from a desktop or mobile browser without requiring software downloads.

The name 'Lapan', the Malay word for the number eight, serves as a playful nod to what naturally follows after 'Tujuh' (seven).

This ensures that driver coordinates and personal travel profiles remain relatively anonymous, a sharp contrast to the persistent location tracking that led to scrutiny of commercial platforms in the first place.

The web interface supports both 2D and 3D map rendering, offering drivers a primary suggested route alongside an alternative path.

The primary route integrates real-time live traffic data powered by TomTom, helping motorists identify congestion and road delays. The platform also includes a manual toll calculator, although drivers must select their own entry and exit toll plazas to generate fee estimations.

Early user feedback has highlighted a few teething issues, with community members noting that certain minor locations and points of interest remain unindexed.