‘Govt’s silence on FBC Media issue deafening’

Najib must explain why hundreds of millions of ringgit of taxpayers’ money was spent to promote the interests of Barisan Nasional, says PKR.

PETALING JAYA: PKR has demanded the government to explain itself over its engagement of FBC Media, the UK-based PR company it commissioned in 2008 to boost its image abroad.

“Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak must come clean on the issue and explain how hundreds of millions of ringgit of taxpayers’ money was spent to promote Barisan Nasional,” said Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, PKR’s communications director.

“The issue has put another dent in Malaysia’s tattered image globally and attracted worldwide media attention. Surely Putrajaya and Kuching must now disclose their roles in this illegal public relations campaign,” he said.

“Hundreds of millions of ringgit were spent on strategic communications services and the production of friendly content for BN-led governments in contravention of fundamental media law and ethics.

“What is in dispute here is not the practice of hiring media advisory or public affairs firms but the use of paid content to bolster the image of the government at the expense of objective reporting,” said Nik Nazmi.

He also said that FBC Media was also involved in engaging Apco Worldwide to lobby the US government on behalf of the Barisan Nasional to promote Malaysia’s pro-business and pro-investment as well as the significance of reform and anti-terrorism efforts.

Nik said while an online news portal had reported that Putrajaya has terminated its contract with FBC following the expose by Sarawak Report, there has thus far been no official response.

“Considering the international media attention that this issue has raised, their silence is truly deafening,” said Nik Nazmi.

‘Feel-good programmes’

He pointed out that the withdrawal of FBC produced programmes by the BBC and CNBC, suggested that the accusations may be credible.

Both suspended programmes produced by FBC and an internal investigation is underway as to how they came to broadcast supposedly impartial content produced by a company on the payroll of the Malaysian government.

FMT had reported that Najib had allegedly paid FBC Media over RM57 million in 2008 and 2009 for programmes to prop up his image and that of the government on BBC and US-based CNBC and CNN.

In 2010, the BN government paid FBC Media another RM42 million for a “global strategic media campaign”.

The company which is primarily a public relations outfit also doubles up as a TV producer producing “feel-good” programmes based on the needs of clients.

Clients pay for the airtime slot on these channels which in effect are advertorials passed off as real programmes.

In a report in the UK-based The Independent, FBC denied any impropriety in its programmes, saying: “At no time have television programmes made for the BBC ever been influenced or affected by our client’s commercial activities.”

FBC also told The Independent that it was no longer working for the Malaysian government.