A ‘Maverick’ PR Consultant Trying to Defend His Profession
Khoo Kay Peng
Interesting, a PR practitioner has taken what I have said about PR consultants rather seriously. I have said that perhaps it is better for the government to spend the money, RM20 million, on some poverty eradication programmes.
A government should not just talk. It is best for the government to focus on deliverables and not some slogans or giving out insignificant 'goodies'.
In this context, I refer to the statements and announcements made by the Prime Minister recently. Amazing, I wonder which PR company actually helped to draft these announcements. I would have appreciated a real maverick PM who is daring enough to alter the status quo. But no, the PM had instead made some announcements, on 6 KRAs, which could have been done by his officers.
For example, do you need a PM to tell the nation that he aims to increase the number of LRT coaches at the Kelana Jaya LRT station? Such statement can be made by the LRT company CEO.
What about combating crime? Shouldn't the IGP come out personally to assure us that his force aims to reduce crime by 20%?
It will make the PM sound ridiculous if more insignificant statements are made, and drafted for him by his very expensive PR consultants. Laughable!
My statement urging the government to save up the RM20 million must have hurt some PR companies. As one PR consultant pointed out, if a PR firm can deliver real value to their political client there is nothing to be upset with my statement.
There are many more examples but I would rather not disclose them here since some of the leaders I know are willing to spend their own money on PR consultants. My blog post did not equate spin doctors to PR consultants. Spin doctors normally work in the media organisations as high profile editors and writers.
