Najib’s PR Guru: The Talented Mr Stadlen

The Sarawak Report contains a fascinating story of the staying power and nocturnal pursuits of  Najib’s propaganda chief Paul Stadlen.

Stadlen apparently used to head APCO, a lobbying/PR firm appointed by Malaysian Prime Minister to help with his PR needs, which are legion. Unspun’s written about them here and here.

Many people then wondered why a firm that has been associated with its close contacts with the Jewish lobby was appointed by a sanctimoniously Islamic Malaysian Government. An explanation was that they wanted to lobby the US. This seemed a plausible answer.

But when APCO got nowhere and were dismissed by the Malaysian government it was then difficult to understand why Stadlen, who had headed the firm’s Malaysian operations, was retained to advice Najib on his PR.

Was Stadlen somehow more clever and had greater insights into Malaysians than any Malaysian Najib could find? Was he more strategic and savvy? Was he willing to be more brutal and unquestioning to his boss’s orders?

In all counts it is difficult to find a reason why Stadlen could have been a superior choice. This task is made all the more difficult if you consider that someone in his position would allow himself to be photographed having wild times and cavorting with Malaysian Bunny girls.

Surely even a humdrum PR advisor would know the reputational risks he exposes his boss and himself if he indulges in such good times?

So Malaysians, why is this Mat Salleh chosen over all the clever and equally scheming local boys and gals that Najib could have hired for a fraction of Stadlen fees?

(Unspun didn’t have enough coffee this morning and somehow thought Stalin was Steadly. Have made corrections to the copy. Apologies for not being too steady this morning)