PKR linked to US PR firm? Rafizi says ‘No’
E-mail correspondence suggests a link between PKR and Orion Strategies, but a PKR leader calls this another attempt to nail Anwar Ibrahim.
G Vinod, FMT
Has PKR sought the expertise of a US-based public relations firm to bolster its chances in the upcoming general election?
E-mail correspondence furnished to FMT revealed an Orion Strategies staff attempting to arrange a meeting between two Malaysian delegates, purportedly linked to PKR, with an unnamed US congressman.
“Unresolved issues are threatening the integrity of Malaysia’s electoral process and hold open the possibility, if not corrected, [of] plunging Malaysia into deep, post-electoral crisis,” said Orion Strategies’ Mike Mitchell to congressional staff Hana Atuatasi.
Mitchell also named the Malaysian delegates as Suaram director Cynthia Gabriel and Merdeka Centre director Ibrahim Suffian.
The meeting was supposed to take place on March 14 and 15, after the duo’s scheduled talks in Washington with regard to political developments in Malaysia.
However, the e-mail did not specify whether the meeting took place or otherwise.
A check by FMT found that Orion Strategies is headed by Randy Scheunemann, a former adviser to ex-Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Scheunemann is described as a neo-conservative, who had also served for Republican presidential candidate John McCain as an adviser during the 2008 US presidential election.
Rafizi: This is an election gimmick
In an e-mail response to FMT, PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli denied the party had appointed any consultant or individuals to represent it during the general election, let alone a foreign one.
“We believe that we have enough talent among our volunteers and leadership to spearhead the campaign on our own. Besides, the cost itself will be prohibitive given the limited financial resources available to us,” he said.
Rafizi said he had also checked the matter with the US Foreign Agent Registry and confirmed that none in the US had ever been appointed to act on behalf of PKR, nor by anyone that could be associated with the party.
Rafizi added that he had also never heard of Orion Strategies.
“Therefore, any attempts to link PKR to any paid foreign agents is just an election gimmick to defame [PKR supremo] Anwar Ibrahim, that has been done previously.
“It did not bear any fruit the last time. I am sure it will backfire this time around as well,” he said.
‘An attempt to undermine our credibility’
Gabriel and Ibrahim, in a joint statement, also dismissed the matter, claiming that it was an attempt to undermine their credibility within the Malaysian civil society fraternity.
The duo said they were invited to give talks in the US in early March but had declined the offer due to hectic work schedules.
