Executives from UK-based lobby firm and reputation management company Bell Pottinger have been secretly recorded as admitting to writing Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s speech to the United Nations last year.
Undercover journalists posing as representatives of the Uzbekistan government approached several such firms to try and determine the influence such lobbyists had in the UK government.
During the meetings, which were secretly recorded, journalists from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism asked Chairman of Bell Pottinger Public Relations David Wilson about the company’s work improving the image of the Sri Lankan government. The executives referred to “dark arts” used to help rebuild the reputations of countries and companies accused of human rights violations.
Sri Lanka has been under international pressure to submit to a war crimes investigation after a UN report published in April found “credible allegations, which if proven, indicate that a wide range of serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law were committed both by the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE, some of which would amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
The Maldives has defended Sri Lanka, with Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem stating that the UN Panel report was “singularly counterproductive”. A report by Sri Lanka’s own ‘Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation’ report has not yet been made public.
Bell Pottinger’s Wilson told the undercover journalists that the “Peace and Reconciliation” commission had a “fundamental flaw” in its remit, in that it was trying “to bury the past”.
“We wrote President Rajapakse s speech to the UN last year which was very well received,” Wilson said, claiming that it was used in preference one prepared by Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry.
In the speech, Rajapakse expresses concerns over the “unacceptable degree of selectivity” of international organisations operating in the developing world, which “ must keep a vigil against these irregular modalities which should be resisted through our collective strength.”
Wilson also told journalists that this speech “went a long way in taking country to where they need to go”, and claimed that Bell Pottinger had added “some critical dialogue at government level” inside the UK, and introduced “some balance outside of a couple of media channels. The Times and Channel 4 are particularly staunch in their opposition.”
Channel 4 had aired video footage purportedly showing Sri Lankan troops executing bound and naked Tamil dissidents in the closing days of the country’s civil war. The authenticity of the footage was challenged by the Sri Lankan government, but described as authentic by the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, Christof Heyns.
Speaking to the undercover journalists, Managing Director of Bell Pottinger Public Affairs Tim Collins said that improvements in a country’ s reputation did not need to be fast: “As long as you can see that each year is a little better than before, that’s fine,” he was quoted as saying in the UK’s Independent newspaper.
Uzbekistan, he suggested, should stress its position as an emerging market: “To the Western world it’s a developing market so you can always have the message that: ‘We are changing with the times – we are emerging, learning as a nation and growing’,” Collins said. Such a campaign to improve the country’s image would cost in excess of £100,000 a month, he suggested.
Former President of the Maldives Maumoon Abdul Gayoom also engaged a large public relations firm in a bid to improve the country’s international image.
Speaking to Minivan News in June, former Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed explained how the involvement of PR firm Hill & Knowlton extended as far as writing legislation, and even advocating controversial Constitutional amendments such as freedom of religion.
“When you are in office for 30 years and your ministers and associates make recommendations to you, you don’t believe them,’ Dr Shaheed told Minivan News. “But if you have a posh firm from London making recommendations, you tend to believe them. And Gayoom did.
“Things that Gayoom did on their recommendation included separating the army from the police, a whole raft of reforms on judicial function, prison reform, constitutional reform – all these things were done at their request. The only H&K recommendations he left out – Hill & Knowlton wanted Yameen and the then Police Chief (Adam Zahir) sacked, and they also suggested that freedom of religion was something that was internationally demanded.
“Of course, there’s no way any government here can introduce freedom of religion, and H&K’s usefulness ended when they recommended Yameen be removed – at that point Gayoom stopped listening to them.
“H&K had a contract signed in April 2005, and their proposals were presented as a package. Their engagement was always positive and there was nothing covered up, and they came here only after speaking to the UK Foreign Office and US State Department. Of course, they are a commercial company and had their fees.”
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pity nation welfare progress speech must be written from the bottom of heart with reverence to soul goddwill from the man presented the spech not an artificial tinkring of words written by a foreigner
This news was expected. It shows how desperate Sri Lanka tried to hide the truth. The investment of £3 million with Bell Pottinger could have been used for better things in Sri Lanka. Bell Pottinger got the maximum publicity with the engagement Sri Lanka.
Dr Shaheed, you are again misleading, you know very well the Qayyoom stopped listening when H&K started pushing too hard on the freedon of religion issue, not sacking Yameen & Adam Zahir.
Hill and Knolton was and had been effective in the Maldives ever since. Why not hire them again to solve all problems like drugs. shortage of forex, education and health reform. it's time Maldivians realise that Maldivians cannot run the Maldives.
Criminals supporting their kind. Srilanka government needs to be brought for killings, executions of innocent people on the island , both Tamil and sinhalese. It is detestable that Maldives foreign minister supports Ari Lanka. Don't u have a conscience or is aid money a good eye blinder?.
Sri Lanka and it's people deserve the peace that they have and I am proud that our Government supports them. I have three words for people who talk of human rights violation. GUANTANAMO BAY PRISON!
It is shocking h&k basically ran the Maldives for many years. And gayoom has the gall to protest against foreign influences!
@Mohammed Rasheed, if you think that your or-so-wise three words "Guantanamo Bay prison" will make all critics of Sri Lanka to hand their heads in shame, you are VERY WRONG.
1) yes, the US is no saint when it comes to human rights, but it doesn't mean that Sri Lanka should escape all their crimes against humanity. The scale of the crimes (more than 40,000 people deliberately massacred) needs to be investigated, no matter what the US does or does not do.
2) The crimes the US is accused of are committed against foreign nationals. If you compare this with Sri Lankan case, you must accept that Tamils are also foreign nationals and not citizens of Sri Lanka. Indeed, that is how the Sinhala leaders treat the Tamils. But any responsible government should investigate crimes against their own citizens seriously, or give them the right to separate.
3) the human rights activists are not all westerners, but people with a conscience. Even progressive sinhalese are among them. So please wake up and think critically. No man or nation is perfect, but truth is perfect and will come out no matter what people do to cover it up.
Why not hire them to run the country for a monthly fee? It seems we are out of options now!
LOL! Seems like the here and now is what everyone cares about.
It is high time the journalists at Minivan realize they have failed to write good propaganda.
Hill & Knowltons commercial efforts cannot be compared to the Conservative Party's wholesale sponsoring of the MDP.
Speak about whitewashing and smoke & mirror tactics. Most incidents that take place in our country that might project Nasheed in a negative light are prevented from reaching the international community. Those tidbits that reach the right ears are quickly dismissed as caused by elements of the ancien regime.
I think we have a clear case of pot calling the kettle black here.
Please consider this title for this article:
"Oh the irony! British Journalists writing for Online Owned by President Nasheed condemn Presidents Rajapakse and Qayyoom for Use of Foreign Spin Doctors".
I think tsk tsk is Hassan Saeed or one of his (very few) supporters. Saeed was also involved in hiring Hill & Knowlton to run the Maldives and lobby Gayoom to allow freedom of religion
"The Maldives has defended Sri Lanka, with Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem stating that the UN Panel report was “singularly counterproductive”. A report by Sri Lanka’s own ‘Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation’ report has not yet been made public."
It seems like maldives foreign minister Ahmed Naseem is on srilankan propaganda payroll doing well paid job.
I think US and UK must take an example role and let the international community (who are they anyway?) to do an "independant" investigation into their war crimes and human rights violations (Vietnam, Guantanamo bay, Afganisthan, Iraq, Libya, Pakisthan etc) and after that try Sri lanka based on that example.
Putting the horse before the cart will not work, regardless how much you cry or try. If US and UK are playing to the big brother then those big brothers must first display that they are clean. Otherwise it will be like going to a corrupt court for your case to be heard.
@ John, you must first try to pull US and UK to a war crimes tribunal before trying on a tiny island, isn't it shameful? Or is US and UK are far too rich, big and scary for you? If you want to become a big hero, then take-on an elephant not a tiny ant. Only cowards like you will take-on ants.
President Nasheed considers President Rajapakse as a true friend of Maldives. Hence Nasheed is willing to overlook the gross human rights violations of Rajapakse Government. Shame on you!