KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional (BN) has acknowledged the need to address public perception and sentiment regarding the unity government's performance.

Its chairman and deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that the rationale behind the unity government's decisions has yet to fully reach the people and efforts must be intensified to address their concerns.

Zahid added that in light of changes in the nation's political landscape, new approaches must also be adopted by the leadership of all component parties in the unity government to ensure that decisions are well understood by grassroots members.

"There is room for improvement as there are many opportunities available to change the sentiment and we must strive to work outside the box.

"We have a framework in the decision-making process, however, important decisions, apart from being brought to the cabinet and understood by the ministers, must also be understood by the party leadership.

"This is not just (needs to be understood) at the national level but also at the grassroots level," he said during a special interview today in conjunction with the 2024 Umno General Assembly.

The assembly is scheduled to take place from Aug 21 to 24 at the World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

Commenting further, Zahid, who is also Umno president, said differing views among the unity government's component party leaders should not be seen as a liability.

He added that every opinion expressed by individuals in the party is a personal viewpoint and does not represent the party's official stance.

"In the current situation, all political parties embrace internal political differences and we welcome differences in views.

"However, once a decision has been made at the unity government's secretariat level, these differing views will no longer be an issue," he said.

Zahid also said party leaders must ensure that differences in opinion do not overshadow the unity government's commitment.

"When a party is perceived as a liability, it is not actually a liability, but rather a matter of clarifying issues and sentiments.

"These must be properly addressed and translated into the implementation of policies at the federal, state, or local council levels.

"For that reason, we must take positive and proactive steps to ensure that different interpretations do not overshadow the main issues that are the pillars of the current government," he said.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/08/1092862/new-approaches-needed-address-changing-political-landscape-says-zahid