KUALA LUMPUR — Prime Minister Najib Razak has appointed a new public relations strategist to shore up his flagging popularity and his choice is advertising guru Lim Kok Wing, who has run past Barisan Nasional’s (BN) election campaigns.

Mr Lim was appointed “special programme coordinator” and has drawn up plans for Mr Najib to go nationwide to gather support and listen to complaints from the people in a bid to win over the populace. He will report directly to Mr Najib, who already has a string of public relations advisers.

The appointment was immediately mocked by critics of Mr Najib’s administration. Former Bar Council chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan took to social media to advise Mr Najib not to depend totally on paid advisers to improve his image.

… Dr Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told TODAY that Mr Lim’s appointment is a “shrewd” one.