:: Dhivehi Observer :: Peoples Press ::

"Hills and Knowlton is a notorious multinational Public Relations (PR) firm based out of United Kingdom. Hill and Knowlton has been described as a "pre-eminent international spin machine." With 50 offices in 20 countries, affiliations with more than 70 associate companies, and more than 1,200 employees, it is one of the world's largest public relations firms. "

Gayyoom has hired their services for a whole range of "communication services and media relations" for his autocratic dictatorship.

Gayyoom has failed to convince the international community and the people of the Maldives that his administration is legitimate and fair in handling accusations of human rights violations and crimes against humanity, so it has now resorted to hiring a multinational PR firm that specializes in representing totalitarian governments and corporate polluters. "Hiring Hill and Knowlton speaks volumes about the real intentions of Gayyoom and the lengths to which he will go to dupe the Maldives people and the international community".

Gayyoom has been passing the PR firm and its representatives currently in Maldives as as a respectable company and has been holding many meetings with them and the public in regards to press freedom, human rights and political reform in the Maldives.

It is believed that the speech that Gayyoom will deliver addressing the people in regards to constitutional amendments is an idea cooked up by this firm.

The Public Relations Journal has called Hill and Knowlton one of the "most formidable public relations/lobby machines in history." Among its "accomplishments," Hill and Knowlton helped set up the Tobacco Institute to promote cigarette smoking, helped the lead industry suppress public health concerns, helped US Gypsum dismiss asbestos worries, calmed the public after Three Mile Island, helped Exxon recover from the Valdez oil spill, helped restore China's image after Tiananmen Square, helped Pacific Lumber log California's ancient redwoods by distributing fake Earth First! material calling for violence, and represented the Indonesian government regarding its human rights abuses on East Timor.

"Hill and Knowlton is the same PR firm that helped sell and legitimise the first Gulf War to the American public on behalf of the administration of George Bush Sr. They went so far as to help manufacture the now infamous 'babies on the floor' charade in which Iraqi soldiers were accused of having removed Kuwaiti infants from their incubators, leaving them to die on the hospital floor".

Hills and Knowlton is known to charge top dollar for its services it provides to dupe the public of many countries. It would be an interesting guess for anybody how much this is costing the Maldives government and ultimately the people of the country for the "valuable" service it is providing the autocratic Gayyoom.

Politicians, academics and legitimate governments bodies have often referred to Hills and Knowlton as "sinister, underhanded and evil" in how it handles matters. It remains to be seen how much damage this company will cause to the Maldives and its people.

Other clients of them for the specific purpose of spreading propaganda have included the government of Kuwait and the Church of Scientology (considered by many to be a dangerous cult) among many others.

*Parts of the article has been adapted freely from an article by the Raincoast Conservation Society