'Tony Blair's ex-PR chief hired by Najib to win GE'

Former British premier Tony Blair's ex-communications chief, Alastair Campbell, is said to be working with BN to help it win the coming general election.

According to the Sarawak Report, Campbell was recently spotted in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, and also in Kuala Lumpur doing consultancy work.

"We have learnt from exclusive sources that Campbell is now advising premier Najib Abdul Razak on how to win the next election.

"Our sources say Campbell met Najib in KL recently and has been behind advice over the past couple of months to show a more friendly image, such as the promise to reform detention laws and the concept of a ‘Cool Najib', reflective of the coining of Blair's 'Cool Britannia' back in the 1990s," said the report.

In a brief tweet in response to the reports, Campbell denied he was advising the Malaysian government.

Making light of the claims, the PR personality said his "double" must be performing the role.

Campbell's denial

He denied ever being in Malaysia recently and working as an advisor to the premier.

"I see I have been spotted in Malaysia. Therefore I must be advising the govt," Campell tweeted. "Must have a double. Not been. Not advising. Fin d'histoire (end of story)," he added.

Campbell (left in photo with Tony Blair) is famous for the so-called ‘Dodgy Dossier' a public relations effort to gain support for the invasion of Iraq.

The Sarawak Report stated that according to an insider, Najib's meeting with Campbell was over strategy to win the next election.

"It was about how to deal with the opposition, how to portray Najib and what needs to be done to win, based on the success of Tony Blair.

"This association has provoked concerns among the opposition, that Campbell will use his international contacts and influence through Blair to boost Najib and BN's image, despite that party's proven record of corruption and repression, as well as the denial of key human rights and the failure to deliver clean elections in Malaysia," the report states.

Positive coverage for Najib

A senior opposition leader was also quoted as saying that he was concerned that Najib will gain more positive coverage through this contact, without performing any of the necessary reforms.

"This way he relies solely on major pronouncements and coverage in the media. People who profess democracy and the rule of law to the rest of the world have now become complicit in all the excesses and abuses of those values in countries like Malaysia.

"Those who preached about freedom and human rights and invaded Iraq in the name of democracy, are now aiding the anti-democratic regime of Malaysia," said the report.

The latest discovery follows the Sarawak Report recently uncovering a scandal over FBC Media's involvement with Najib and Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud to illegally buy positive publicity on worldwide TV news shows.

The report states that a British PR practitioner working in Kuala Lumpur, Paul Stadlen, could be the link between FBC Media, and Najib's previous PR firm Apco.

Najib is seen to be desperate to rebuild his international image following the negative worldwide publicity over the July 9 Bersih rally.