Malaysian Government Pays To Defame

Josh Treviño is an American conservative political commentator who lost his column in the Guardian newspaper after allegations that his journalism wasn't exactly above board and that he was under the payroll of the Malaysian government to defame Anwar Ibrahim.

Since then, Josh Treviño has denied being a journalist, claiming instead that he was a PR man who "ran a loose operation" -- basically in having other writers also muddy the waters when it came to issues concerning Malaysian Opposition.

He rejected accusations that his actions had broken any rules of journalism. “I’m not a journalist and never was,” Treviño wrote. “That’s a pretty key distinction. What most PR does is comment/opinion.”

Fair enough. It happens all over the world, especially in the United States of America, which is where he hails from. In fact, a lot of American foreign policy came to pass based on pressure from lobbyists (often lawyers or PR specialists who are paid to promote a particular cause).

Many Malaysians complain about the USA being very "pro-Israel". What they do not realize is that American policies have been affected in the very same way that Malaysian policies are made and the way the world views Malaysia -- via paid influence and propaganda.

Lesson to be learned: People in glass houses should not throw stones.

Especially that the RM1.2 million (or US$389,724.70) that was paid to Josh Treviño probably came from the tax payer as UMNO regularly uses national coffers as its personal piggy bank. Lucius Goon points this out as well.

However, it is apparent that Treviño was treading the fine line between PR and journalism in his shady of definitions of what exactly he does. Huffington Post, following in the Guardian's footsteps, albeit much later, has since removed most of his postings, "after it was revealed that the author violated HuffPost’s blogger guidelines by not disclosing a financial conflict of interest"

Ah yes. I would imagine that US$389,724.70 is a significant financial conflict of interest.

This amount was paid to him, presumably via FBC Media, APCO Worldwide and David All Group (which I've personally not heard or blogged of prior to this mention) from the Malaysian government and the Prime Minister’s Office.

At this point, I'm wondering how much these PR companies have been paid by UMNO. It would certainly be a darn sight more.

I can't say I'm a huge fan of Anwar Ibrahim. But it does irritate me when money is used for no good purpose other than to defame a person.

Related:
1. Paid to blog: Josh Trevino’s MR26,300 a month - Uppercaise
2. Shilling for Malaysia Is Pretty Nice Work If You Can Get It - New York Magazine
3. Friends of Malaysia - The Maddow Blog (MSNBC)

Malaysia And America

It is no secret that the American government has somewhat unconventional torture methods when dealing with potential or suspected terrorists.

Guantanamo Bay is probably the most famous holding centre.

But what is truly surprising, is the Malaysian government's involvement in detaining suspects in collaboration with the CIA.

The BN government has always been very vocal in opposing Washington, mostly in attempts to posture before the predominantly Muslim public.

Every time there is an issue regarding Palestine in particular or Islam in general, there is a public demonstration (this time, without the tear-gassing and chemical-laced water being sprayed all over the participants) outside the American Embassy.

It is no secret that the average Malay Muslim does not like the US and is not keen on cooperating with the Americans.

In fact, the most common (and possibly effective) form of smear campaigns in Malaysia is to associate any organisation or person with the Americans.

Anwar Ibrahim was accused of being an American spy, when he met William Cohen (U.S. Secretary of Defense). Subsequently the accusation was toned down to being just a "tool of America to gain control over Malaysia".

Anwar did get to turn the tables when he linked APCO to Najib's 1Malaysia slogan. Which goes to show that America and its support of Israel is a rather sensitive topic in Malaysia.

More recently is the accusation of Suaram, Lawyers for Liberty (LFL), the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) as well as news portal Malaysiakini as being tools for foreign hands to destabilise the Malaysian government.

This came about because the US-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has provided funds for those NGOs.

The allegations are ludicrous, but they are useful as smear campaigns, especially for those who don't bother to check the facts.

So for all the smearing that the BN government of Malaysia does against the USA, it is actually in cahoots with them.

The irony.

Our Taxpayer Funds Used Again!

I have always been annoyed at how carelessly our money is spent. First APCO, then FBC Media, and now the former advisors to Tony Blair.

The thing that puzzles me with Najib is his fixation with spin and foreign spin doctors. First, he paid millions to APCO, then paid much more millions to FBC Media, a company which brought much disrepute to Malaysia because it transpired they paid for Najib and Malaysia to get good publicity.

The PM obviously does not rate his own staff highly. And it surprises me that any leader has to hire foreign spin doctors to tell him how to become a reformer.

Now he has got the Blair Boys. So who is paying their fees? Am I, as the taxpayer, picking up the tab? Is Najib paying out of his own pocket?

Read the whole piece by Lucius Goon at Who’s paying for Blair’s Boys?

The Modus Operandi Of Tin-Pot Dictators

Singling out political opponents for working against the ruling party is precisely the tactic of every tyrannical government from Red China to Venezuela. The first step in the process is creating unfounded public suspicion of political opponents, followed by arresting and jailing any who continue speaking against the regime.

- John Carter

I'm sure when this was said, no one was expecting it to be true of both Malaysia and Singapore as well.

In Malaysia, the political opponent in question is Anwar Ibrahim. In Singapore, it is Chee Soon Juan. Both men have had charges against them and been to jail.

My point is not about the two men or whether they are upstanding and worthy leaders or not. My issue is with people who think that they can bully their way around because they wield power.

The tin-pot dictators who rule both Malaysia and Singapore respectively, barely worry about their actions because they know that the public would be slow to act and mild-mannered.

I don't know who Singapore employs to give them a good image, but it is public knowledge that Malaysia hires APCO and FBC Media.

Fortunately, Malaysians have been somewhat vocal in their disapproval of public funds being used to promote a certain political party.

But have they been vocal enough against the regime?

There is strength in numbers, and one thing that Asia certainly can boast of is the sheer population.

Anonymous Returns!

Remember Anonymous? The same guys who hacked into the Malaysian site some time back as a lesson to the Malaysian government for censoring whistle-blower site Wikileaks?

Well, these guys are back with a vengeance, and the next date is 24th October 2011.

I wonder if the Malaysian government is prepared to be humiliated yet again. Maximus Ongkili (minister of Science, Technology and Innovation) was quoted as saying that the hackers were in the process of being identified.

I have yet to hear anything on that subject so far and it has been almost 3 months since then.

Not only that, he claims the hackers were Malaysians. Nabbing them would have been quite easy.

But I suspect it is all trash talk to sound big and mighty. After all, perception management is a big thing for the Malaysian government, otherwise why would they hire APCO and FBC to make them look good?

All this trash talk is making them sound silly as Anonymous prepare to unleash yet another volley of Denial Of Service (DOS).

Check them out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHrZsmfylog&feature=youtu.be

What's On BN Payroll?

We thought having APCO, parent of the One Israel concept and later the 1Malaysia concept was bad enough.

It was a huge waste of public money - spent on enhancing a political party's image.

Now it looks like BN has hired pro-Israeli bloggers for Malaysia Matters - a website to promote BN leaders.

Armstrong, who is also a professional 'blogger for hire', has made no secret of the fact that the project was commissioned by the Malaysian government - he lists them as a client on the website of his company WebStrong.

Anti Islam Bloggers On BN Payroll

The Mr Nice Guy Image

Some of you may remember that back in July, we learned that Najib had employed a Public Relations firm called APCO Worldwide to promote his image within the country and also worldwide.

A lot of money was spent. Our taxpayer money, of course. It was confirmed in Parliament quite recently.

But it looks like APCO Worldwide may be responsible for successfully duping a lot of Malaysians and possibly some foreigners as well into thinking that Najib Tun Razak is a nice guy.

Najib suddenly has a wonderful image. He appears to be the 'change' that the nation sorely needs.

He shows up with the 1Malaysia concept, claiming to champion equality and unity.

To date, there has been no evidence to suggest that it will actually happen.

and I'm not holding my breath waiting.

And then he claims to abolish racist policies or "dilute the system of ethnic preferences" as the New York Times calls it.

I didn't buy it and none of my friends did either.

Recently, there have been calls by civil initiatives like Anak Bangsa Malaysia to recognise September 16 (Malaysia Day) as significant, since it has generally been ignored by previous administrations.

But Najib swoops in to seize the day by declaring September 16 as a public holiday.

What a kind, reasonable man, you think. But this is the man who couldn't care less about Sabah and Sarawak. Beyond the oil & gas, timber and tourism that those two states provide, that is.

He doesn't stop at that.

Najib steps back and watches the debate between proponents of vernacular and national type schools respectively. And then he walks in and says that the government will maintain vernacular schools as this is what the rakyat want.

BN cannot survive without the divide and conquer rule. They cannot afford to have the Malays, Chinese and Indians thinking alike and feeling contented to be equals.

Once the races start integrating and communicating, they will inevitably unite and give BN a solid kick on its behind.

So Najib comes up with pseudo-unity speeches to UMNO delegates like "Work for the people".

During the last few UMNO general assemblies, key delegates started waving the keris around while breathing threats. That culminated in a tsunami of disapproval, observed through crushing results during the 2008 General Elections.

APCO Worldwide must probably be dishing out plenty of advice to Najib about refraining from stupid stunts like that.

He is obviously taking the cue.

Government admits spending to boost Najib administration

From The Malaysian Insider:

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon confirmed in Parliament today that the government had engaged Apco Worldwide, an international public affairs and media relations company, to boost its image overseas.

The Malaysian Insider understands that the contract is worth some RM20 million but Koh, in a written reply to a question from DAP’s Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching, did not divulge the exact amount.

“Apco Worldwide was tasked with promoting and improving Malaysia's image overseas,” said Koh, who is Minister in the Prime Minister's Department.

He justified the appointment by asserting that a foreign firm would ensure that the country's communication practice was in line with international standards.

To justify the hefty fees it is charging, The Malaysian Insider understands that Apco Worldwide staff are now generating press releases and conducting media training for the government.

Because of the value of the contract, Apco Worldwide has set up an office for the first time in Malaysia. Its personnel are mainly from the United States, and the main focus of their job remains to improve Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s image.

It is also understood that the government has hired a separate firm in the United States to act as its lobbyist with the Obama administration.

“Appointing an international communication firm is a common practice by governments of other countries,” Koh said in his written reply to Parliament today.

He also said that inaccurate reports in foreign media had affected the international community's confidence in the country as a stable investment, trade and tourist destination, resulting in the need to appoint Apco.

“Apart from Apco, the ministry and government agencies also appoint other local and international firms, for short and long term to provide communication services,” he said.

“Because the expenses for this service depend on the implementation of the programmes and communication projects planned from time to time according to needs, the total cost cannot be determined for the time being.”

The Malaysian Insider had reported in July that Apco was also tasked with promoting Najib's image for his first 100 days in office and later to boost the administration's standing worldwide.

Najib is not the first prime minister, however, to use expensive foreign help to boost his image and that of his administration.

Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi also used a foreign-based public relations firm to help project a positive image of himself as a progressive Muslim leader, and Malaysia as a modern Muslim nation.

The Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad administration had used disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Money being splurged to boost image of Najib administration

From The Malaysian Insider:

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — The Malaysian government is continuing a Barisan Nasional (BN) tradition of spending big bucks to get positive publicity for the administration overseas.

The Malaysian Insider understands, however, that some senior government officials are not pleased that the Najib administration is considering spending large amounts to buy good publicity.

A number of companies, including renowned international public affairs and media relations company Apco Worldwide, are pitching for a new round of government-related work believed to be worth some RM20 million.

The contract has not been signed yet but the administration is understood to be leaning towards giving Apco Worldwide a big pay day.

It is understood that the services of Apco Worldwide was brought in by Omar Mustapha, the close aide of the PM who was recently embroiled in controversy over his proposed appointment onto the board of national oil company Petronas.

Typically the scope of work for companies like Apco Worldwide will involve getting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Malaysia onto slots on major news channels such as CNBC and CNN.

Bylined articles in foreign newspapers such as the one which Najib wrote for the Wall Street Journal when he took office are also targeted.

There will also be a lobbying element, especially in the United States which has traditionally been sympathetic to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Najib’s recent telephone conversation with President Barack Obama was a major coup for the foreign experts already working in the PM’s office.

It is understood that the Najib administration is also working hard to secure an official visit from the US president to Malaysia, as this would boost the PM’s international image and undermine Anwar’s influence in Washington.

Apco Worldwide is understood to have had an official based in Najib’s office since the early days of the administration.

Apco and other public relations specialists from the United States have also been helping Najib craft his 100 days strategy.

This includes his 1 Malaysia message and other key platforms of his administration.

While the results so far of the foreign public relations firms have been mixed, some senior government officials are understood to be unhappy with their further involvement, especially if it comes with an escalation in costs.

But supporters of these foreign public relations teams point out that they also work to neutralise the opposition’s impact outside Malaysia by reaching out to opinion makers in countries deemed important to Malaysia.

Najib is not the first prime minister, however, to have used expensive foreign help to boost his image and that of his administration.

Tun Abdullah Badawi also used a foreign-based public relations firm to help project a positive image of himself as a progressive Muslim leader, and Malaysia as a modern Muslim nation.

The Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad administration had used disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.