Govt to embark on nationwide PR blitz?

The government is planning a major roadshow next month in what will likely be seen as a public relations blitz to shore up support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's administration ahead of elections in six critical states.

Dubbed "Unity Week", the programme to be held from May 20 to 28 will see events organised nationwide by the national unity ministry.

There have been few details on the content of the programme or whether government leaders will be featured, but MalaysiaNow has learnt that the programme will see a focus on several government catchphrases such as "madani" and "rahmah", terms already in use in public broadcast greetings and government initiatives.

The planned Unity Week is reminiscent of a similar programme heavily promoted in the late 1980s under Dr Mahathir Mohamad's administration.

Setia Bersama Rakyat (Loyalty with the People) or Semarak, launched months after the leadership crisis that split Umno, was seen as Mahathir's way of shoring up support within the Malay party following a purge of critics led by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

The campaign, which saw Anwar's active participation as the education minister, was promoted in the form of roadshows in major cities, paraphernalia, school events and propaganda songs, most notably the Setia song featuring well-known artists at the time.

The government had then dismissed critics who said the Semarak campaign was using state machinery to promote a political agenda to prop up Mahathir's image, battered by the Umno split, a crackdown on dissent, as well as the judicial crisis that saw the controversial removal of senior judges.

It also defended Semarak as a way of instilling patriotism and for leaders to meet with the people.

In a similar tone, the national unity ministry said the objective of Unity Week was to to highlight the importance of patriotism, instil love for the country and celebrate Malaysia's diversity.

The programme will likely be watched for its political implications, as Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional battle for the critical Malay votes which will decide the future of both coalitions in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu.

Anwar and PH leaders came under criticism from both supporters and civil society activists after a series of moves against the prime minister's pledge for reforms.

These include a spate of political appointments to government-linked companies and agencies, and Umno's fresh bid to obtain a royal pardon for disgraced former leader Najib Razak, who is serving a jail sentence for corruption involving hundreds of millions of ringgit.

Anger was further fuelled after it was revealed that government lawyers were instructed not to oppose an application by Umno chief and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to postpone his trial for 47 criminal charges.

Zahid, who was instrumental in getting Anwar the numbers needed to form the government last year, is seeking to have the charges dropped. 

The High Court was also informed that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission was carrying out "further investigations" based on "new evidence" from Zahid's lawyers.

Critics have warned Anwar against caving in to pressure from Umno, with a government backbencher cautioning the PKR leader that any escape route granted to Najib and Zahid would be catastrophic for his five-month-old government.

Anwar, whose rise to the top office was followed by a series of investigations on his political rivals, recently said he was ready to face "corrupt leaders" plotting to overthrow his government. 

"If you want to bring me down because I fight corruption, by all means, but I am never going to compromise when it comes to cleaning up the country and saving the people from those who rob the nation," he said on Monday, stopping short however of making specific references to cases involving Najib and Zahid.