LETTER | There has been no shortage of good headlines over the past year or two under the Madani administration.

The unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level in 11 years at 2.9 percent in November 2025.

RON95, through the Budi subsidy mechanism, remains at RM1.99 per litre, the lowest price Malaysians have paid since 2009.

The minimum wage has been increased by 13 percent to RM1,700, while every Malaysian aged 18 and above has received RM100 in Rahmah Necessities Aid (Sara) credits to spend on essential goods.

Several important reforms have also been introduced. Earlier this year, the Gig Workers Act 2025 came into force, making Malaysia one of the first countries in the world to introduce a dedicated law for gig workers.

The Act extends legal protections and social security coverage to more than 1.6 million Malaysians who earn a living through e-hailing, food delivery and other platform-based work, recognising a workforce that has long operated outside the protections enjoyed by regular white-collar employees.

There are also encouraging signs that international confidence in Malaysia is returning.

British Airways resumed flights to Kuala Lumpur earlier this year after more than four years away, while Lufthansa is set to return in October after more than a decade.

Airlines do not expand routes based on optimism alone. They do so because they see growing demand, stronger economic prospects and confidence that the market can sustain those flights.

On paper, these are the kinds of achievements any government would want to talk about. So why does it often feel as though many Malaysians remain unconvinced?

It’s in the delivery

Spend a few minutes on social media, and you will quickly find calls for ministers to resign, criticism of the Madani government, and claims that the country is heading in the wrong direction.

The recent Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections, where Pakatan Harapan lost ground despite a series of major policy reforms at the federal level, suggest that this sentiment extends beyond social media.

The gap between policy outcomes and public perception seems wider than ever.

Communicating public policy has never been easy, especially in a country as diverse as Malaysia. We speak different languages, consume different media, and increasingly live in different digital worlds shaped by algorithms.

A government announcement that reaches one group may never appear on someone else's social media feed.

A few weeks ago, I was walking through the Merdeka MRT station when I noticed a campaign featuring portraits of ordinary Malaysians, complete with their names, ages and occupations.

It made me wonder whether one of the busiest train stations in the country could also be used to explain major government policies in simple terms.

Thousands of commuters pass through there every day. Surely there are more effective ways to bring policy closer to the people than another press conference or media statement.

Explanation only after uproar

The recent rollout of Socso’s Lindung 24 Jam scheme is another example. By all accounts, it is a meaningful initiative that provides workers with 24-hour protection.

Yet within weeks of its implementation, the government came under pressure and eventually made participation optional. The problem was not just the policy itself.

Many people simply did not understand what they had signed up for, what benefits they were entitled to, or how the claims process worked.

Interestingly, Socso later announced that RM1.2 million in claims had been paid out within the first month, but that information only gained attention after the public backlash had begun.

We have seen the same pattern elsewhere. The proposed Urban Renewal Act debate was quickly reframed as a racial issue.

Discussions around pig farming in Selangor followed a similar trajectory. Whether those narratives were accurate is beside the point. They gained traction because they filled an information vacuum.

Optics matter

Politics has always been about perception as much as policy. Opposition parties understand this well and have become increasingly effective at shaping narratives online.

Meanwhile, government responses often arrive late, rely heavily on traditional media, or even fail to reach the audiences where these conversations are already taking place.

To its credit, the Madani government has not turned the mainstream media into a cheerleader for its administration. That is a welcome change.

But choosing not to control the narrative is not the same as having no narrative at all. If the government wants its reforms to resonate with the public, it needs to communicate them just as effectively as it formulates them.

After all, a good policy is only as effective as the public's understanding of it.

The author is the communications lead at the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas).

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.