JB’s UK PR firm has image problems

The UK public relations firm which President Joyce Banda has hired to prop up her image in the wake of the cashgate scandal has been facing protests for working to clean up reputations of governments with poor governance record.

Banda hired Bell Pottinger to boost her image in the eyes of the international community following the massive damage caused by the looting of public funds at Capital Hill resulting in donors, including the UK, withholding their direct budget support.

But Weekend Nation has learnt that a group of angry protesters last year descended on Bell Pottinger’s offices in London where they demonstrated against the company’s contract with the DRC government to promote its reputation and that of President Joseph Kabila in the eyes of the international community in light of various human rights concerns including rape cases in the country’s mining sector.

According to the UK’s Telegraph newspaper, the protesters “super-glued themselves to the glass door of Bell Pottinger and deployed reinforced arm tubes to stop anyone else getting inside.”

Bell Pottinger was also recently linked to a deal to rebrand the image of the government of Gabon as a vanguard for the protection of rainforests, according to the UK’s Independent newspaper.

The Sri Lankan government also came under fire recently after revelations that Bell Pottinger had written the speech which the country’s president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, delivered at the United Nations General Assembly in 2010 amid heightened human rights concerns in that country, according to BBC.

“Bell Pottinger chairman was secretly recorded as saying that Mr Rajapaksa had chosen the company’s version of the speech in preference to one drafted by his own foreign ministry,” reads a BBC article.

But Bell Pottinger, in the same BBC article, however, denied working for the Congolese government, saying its public affairs section focuses its operations on the UK and Europe.

In an interview on Thursday, Minister of Information Brown Mpinganjira refused to comment on whether the engagement of Bell Pottinger will not cause more damage to the country’s reputation considering the image of the company.

“Talk to [presidential press secretary] Mr. Steven Nhlane. I have no idea about that issue,” said Mpinganjira.

In a questionnaire response, Nhlane defended Bell Pottinger, saying it is a leading communications company which operates on behalf of some of the world’s most complex organisations.

“They have been engaged to assist the President and Government of Malawi to ensure that their work in fighting corruption is accurately reflected in the international media. It is not unusual for world-leaders to make use of such advisers to assist with the formulation and delivery of their international communication strategy,” he said.

Nhlane also claimed that there will be no charge to the Malawian taxpayer, insisting “We reiterate that there is no PR contract between the Malawi Government and Bell Pottinger and there is to be no charge to the Malawian taxpayer.”

But on Monday, opposition UDF expressed anger over the deal, claiming the taxpayers have already paid out about 250 000 euros (over K130 million) for the deal.

“UDF has learnt with shock that government had decided to pay UK public relations firm to help downplay President Joyce Banda administration’s alleged involvement in the cashgate.

“In our view, this money can better be used to track down the lost public funds. The ACB needs this money to effectively conduct investigations. It shows that the President is more concerned with exonerating her government than getting to the bottom of this crisis,” said UDF publicity secretary Ken Ndanga.