DAP: Najib, learn from BBC and apologise

DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng has called for the prime minister to follow BBC’s example and apologise to the public for “embarrassing our country”.

“Najib Tun Razak (left) should direct his Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to apologise for paying RM84 million to to burnish the Najib administration’s image on global broadcast networks, just as the BBC is apologising...” said Lim.

He was responding in a statement today to BBC World News’ worldwide broadcast apologizing for having aired programmes whose editorial content had been compromised.

The UK broadcaster in their statement yesterday singled out Malaysia as one of the countries affected, where eight programmes aired were found to have beenpaid for by the Malaysian government.

UK daily The Independent reported yesterday that FBC Media had received £17 million (RM83 million) for ‘global strategic communications’ resulting in the said programmes.

Najib himself had in a written parliamentary reply to Batu MP Tian Chua last year confirmed the expenditure.

Lim called the episode a disgrace and an embarrassment to the nation.

“The Prime Minister's Office must therefore take full responsibility for this utterly disgraceful episode and follow in the footsteps of the BBC by apologising for embarrassing our country,” he said.