Salahuddin: Foreign consultants can't turn a frog into prince

Harakahdaily

Oct 28: Prime minister Najib Razak’s obsession with foreign consultants to boost his image is a waste of money, according to PAS vice president Salahuddin Ayub (right). Reacting to a claim by the website Sarawak Report that Najib had recently engaged Alastair Campbell, who once worked as public relations head for Britain's Tony Blair, Salahuddin said if the report was true, Najib would be guilty of using public funds to boost his image. The portal also claimed that Campbell had been spotted in Kuala Lumpur as part of his assignment to advise Najib on strategies to win the upcoming general election. “Najib doesn’t have to go that far and waste public money hiring foreign consultants to understand the people’s acceptance towards him and his government. "Just look at Bersih 2.0 and Himpun (Gathering of a Million Muslims) as an example,” said Salahuddin, in apparent reference to the well-attended Bersih rally of July 9 as opposed to the latter, an UMNO-endorsed rally which only attracted some 5,000 people. “There is no need to waste money to hire people like Campbell. One finds true the saying that even foreign consultants can’t turn a frog into a prince,” he quipped. The report has been denied by Campbell, who claimed that he had not been in Malaysia as alleged. “I see I have been spotted in Malaysia. Therefore I must be advising the government. Must have a double. Not been. Not advising. End of story,” he remarked.