Sekitar Julai tahun lalu, The Malaysian Insider ada melaporkan hal ini. Blog ini ada menterjemah dan mengulas isu itu. Antaranya: Antara fungsi syarikat perhubungan awam seperti Apco Worldwide seperti yang dilaporkan di bawah termasuklah mendapatkan slot berita berkaitan dengan PM dan kerajaan Malaysia dalam CNBC dan CNN, dan melakukan kerja-kerja melobi terutamanya di AS. Laporan itu turut menyatakan bahawa Apco dan beberapa pakar perhubungan awam dari Amerika Syarikat telah membantu merangka strategi 100 hari PM termasuklah mesej 1Malaysia dan beberapa platform penting pentadbirannya.

Selain itu, pentadbiran PM juga dipercayai sedang berusaha keras memastikan lawatan rasmi Presiden Obama ke Malaysia menjadi realiti kerana lawatan tersebut akan melonjakkan imej PM di peringkat antarabangsa dan pada masa yang sama menyekat pengaruh Anwar Ibrahim di Washington.



Hari ini Free Malaysia Today melaporkan:

Najib’s RM20 milion image builders are Israelis

APCO Worldwide, the company hired by the prime minister to redeem his flagging image, has allegedly offered similar services to dictators and corrupt leaders around the globe, according to the Times of India.
The most influential media in India reported recently that apart from Najib, the Washington-based PR company had also serviced former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and Kazakhstan’s life-long president Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev.

APCO’s clients also included millionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was once the youth leader for the Russian Communist Party with links to the mafia.

Pakatan Rakyat weekly Suara Keadilan quoted The Times of India as stating that APCO Worldwide had the capability of re-engineering the image of public figures and leaders who were not popular with the people.

The Times had launched an investigation into APCO Worldwide after it was discovered that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was a client of the company. (Gujarat is a state in India).

Narendra had been fingered as the cause of religious riots in February 2002, where 1,000 people were killed, majority of whom were muslims.

To re-build Narendra’s image the Gujarat Government had hired APCO Worldwide paying them US$25,000 a month fee for their services.

“Although APCO’s services is three time higher than other PR firms, it was chosen because it had many former Republicans and Democrats acting as consultants,” The Times said.

The Malaysian Government is believed to have anchored APCO with a RM20 million contract immediately after Najib became Prime Minister.

Established in 1984, APCO Worldwide is a global communication company with a networking in 25 major cities in the world.

Its clients include, national governments, corporate holdings, industrial organisations and not-for-profit agencies.

APCO Worldwide began its office in Kuala Lumpur on 1 September 2009 after they were signed on by the Najib Government.

Among the company’s key advisors are stalwarts who had once worked with Israel’s Zionist regime. They include Shimon Shein, former Israeli ambassador to Germany, Itamar Rabinovich, former Israeli ambassador to the US and Doron Bergerbest-Eilon, former chief of Israel’s national security agency.

* APCO Worldwide Opens in Malaysia
Firm to assist new Malaysian government in strengthening communication

Hong Kong (August 10, 2009) – APCO Worldwide, continuing to broaden its activities in Asia, is opening a new office in Kuala Lumpur, Margery Kraus, president and chief executive officer, announced today. Among the office’s first clients is the Government of Malaysia under the government of Prime Minister Najib Razak.

“Malaysia continues to demonstrate that it is a major player in Asia, one of the great manufacturing nations for electronics and a sophisticated participant in global markets across many sectors,” said Kraus. “APCO’s ability to leverage strategic communication capabilities across borders mirrors the kind of leverage Malaysia has achieved in its approach to business and trade, making this a natural location for our expansion.”

One of the first clients of APCO’s new office will be the Malaysian government, which is retaining APCO to assist in evaluating its capabilities to communicate through new media. APCO will also assist the Malaysian government’s new leadership by sharing recent developments in strategic communication undertaken by governments in Europe, North America and Africa. Separately, APCO will be providing support in Washington, D.C., to Malaysia’s ambassador to the United States.

“As Malaysia moves forward, the government wants to ensure that it is able to provide information to the public quickly and transparently, making use of all relevant new technologies,” said Kraus. “Our team in Kuala Lumpur will include seasoned professionals from many countries, including Malaysia, who are on the cutting edge of new media. They will work to assist in strengthening the government’s online and other strategic communication capabilities to speed the delivery of accurate information to the media and public.”...