MAY 28 — I have read with interest the reactions from various people regarding Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Paduka Lim Kok Wing’s appointment as Special Programme Co-ordinator to Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak.

As a person who has worked closely with Tan Sri Lim for over 20 years on many of the campaigns related to social issues, government policies, education development and industry growth, I can say with confidence that the responsibilities of his latest appointment go far beyond that of image building and public relations.

You just need to research his background and you can see that he started to work with government way back in 1974 when he was tasked to translate the New Economic Policy into layman’s terms. He was a young man of 28 with a high-flying career in advertising as the first Asian to break into top management of a multinational agency.

He understood why the then Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak formulated the NEP. He had personally witnessed the violence of the 1969 racial clash as a member of the Red Crescent. He knew there had to be a policy accepted by all to prevent a recurrence of this sad incident.

This resulted in the Pesta Pembangunan (Development Fest) the biggest exhibition organised in the country, taking up the entire interior of the indoor Stadium Negara. The NEP was put on a nationwide roadshow to explain to people the masterplan that aimed to balance growth that would benefit everyone.

His work with Tun Dr Mahathir began from the time Tun came into office in 1981 and what brought the two together was Tan Sri’s Guli Guli cartoons featured in a local newspaper. In 1982 Guli-Guli  strips were featured on billboards all over the country as part of a courtesy campaign to encourage good relations among Malaysians.

This began a long working relationship that resulted in Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing producing campaigns and publications that helped Tun Mahathir during his 22-year reign as Prime Minister. From investment promotion, tourism promotion, crisis management, social issues management, unity building, peace advocacy, rainforest issues, to voter education campaigns, Tan Sri Lim was actively involved in the battle to win hearts and minds.

Because Tun was Prime Minister for 22 years Tan Sri was perceived to be a Mahathir “crony”. In an interview in 2008 Tan Sri made this interesting observation:

“If you know me, you will know I do not trade my principles in order to become popular or to gain anything. It’s not about blind loyalty to Tun Dr Mahathir. I was loyal to the chair. I performed the same role when Tun Abdullah became Prime Minister and, again now, when Dato’ Sri Najib is the Prime Minister, because I contribute my services to the country and not solely to an individual.”

Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing has a genuine interest in national development and in the campaigns we had worked together I have found this to be the basis for his involvement. Sometimes he is not given the responsibility but he will respond to a crisis like a concerned citizen and put in place proposals to address the issues.

Walk into his “archives department” and you will see rows and rows of proposals he had made covering almost every sector of the economy. His mindset is one that was nurtured during Tun Mahathir’s era and the Malaysia Incorporated concept is deeply ingrained in him.

He sees areas where the country can lift itself and improve its performance and he maps out his ideas in documents that are presented to the presiding Prime Minister, whoever it may be. A number of his proposals have influenced government policies and he is always invited to top level discussions because he is valued for his insights. In fact in an interview I had with Tun Dr Mahathir in 2009 this is what he said:

“Tan Sri Lim feels an obligation to help the country. He is truly a Malaysian because he understands the needs of Malaysia. Some people feel only about their own particular race but he is the essential Malaysian who is concerned that everybody should move forward together.”

He looks deeper into issues and always looks for solutions even when it is easier to simply “meet the brief” and create the campaigns asked for. Time and time again I have personally witnessed how he reverts with a totally different idea that goes beyond the task delegated to him.

In the past 40 years Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing has stepped forward to assist government in many ways and most of the time he has given his time freely and personally funded some of the campaigns.

I cannot think of another Malaysian who has this track record of service to the nation:

- Unity Campaign that was created at a time when Malaysia was reeling from the effects of the 1997 financial crisis and he created short video documentaries to make people think of how much.​

- Mediating political crises As a neutral person accepted by all Tan Sri Limkokwing has often been called in to bridge issues within political parties or between parties. If not for his intervention the MCA would have been broken up during its 2002 crisis in leadership.

- The Malaysian Incorporated publication helped Malaysia to reintroduce itself as a country with a robust, competitive and expanding economy that offered huge investment opportunities. It was launched in 1995 in Kuala Lumpur followed by London, Tokyo, New York and Hong Kong.

- The Rakan Muda youth development movement was created to make youth the hope of the nation. Launched in October 1994 it was the first and biggest youth movement in the country. 'Yakin Boleh, the slogan later became the inspiration for Malaysia Boleh.

- He set out the communication parameters when Kuala Lumpur won the bid to host the 16th Commonwealth games and designing the mascot. This also awakened him to the lack of a strong identity for the country which then led to the designing of the National Sports Jersey using the Malayan tiger as the inspiration. He followed through the identity building by using the tiger stripes to design the uniform for the Khidmat Negara programme.

- When Malaysia prepared for the Commonwealth Games new development such as the mass transit systems and a new airport were constructed. He worked alongside to create the signage designs for KLIA and the Putra LRT. These were based on his experience working on the KTM signages when it introduced electrification of its commuter tracks.

- And when the currency crisis hit the region he countered attacks on the country by producing a book called Hidden Agenda, in the Eyes of the Tiger. The book set the record straight on Tun Mahathir’s decision to impose currency controls to stop speculation of the ringgit that had devastated its purchasing power.

- There were other books that defended Malaysia’s position in the global market. A major piece of work was Green Horizon, a pictorial of the Malaysian rainforest. This was to counter attacks made on Malaysia regarding its rainforest management. The publication was part of a fully integrated communication campaign to tell the world the real story of Malaysia’s leadership.

- Branding Malaysia for the World began a focused positioning for Malaysian products facing global competition. It also provided the eans for participating brands to connect with investors. It was a follow through initiative after he created the 'Made-in-Malaysia For he Worl'd drive to assist Matrade in promoting products made in the country and at the same time the drive encouraged local manufacturers to upgrade their products for export.

- When he was tasked to reduce the numbers of smokers in the country he turned the exercise into a brand and 'Tak Nak!' became a popular national phrase for non-smokers. He also worked with the Health Ministry to encourage healthy living through the 'Nak Sihat' campaign and later worked with the National Kidney Foundation on the Healthy Kidneys Longer Life campaign.

- When the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs sought his assistance, he produced a campaign called 'Hapuskan Cetak Rompak' or Stop Piracy to alert consumers on the criminal elements behind the trade in pirated goods.

- More recently he has been working closely with the Malaysian Police in their fight against Cybercrime. At the same time he has been working to lift their capabilities in the use of digital technology for forensic investigations.

- There is so much more to add to the list as his involvement has been a total commitment where almost every government ministry has gained from using his ability to win hearts and minds.

So to just dismiss him as a “spin doctor” is to grossly misjudge him and in fact do him a great injustice. Whatever he does next will be in favour of the country and not just the individual.

*This is the personal opinion of the writer or organisation and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.