Malaysia tackles national woes with ad campaign

Malaysia's reputation as a moderate, progressive Muslim nation has been sullied by a string of embarrassing news stories and the government, in hope of uniting the nation and promoting its attractions, have hired a high-powered American public relations firm. The result is a snazzy campaign called 1Malaysia. Some people, however, ask whether the image makeover is all style over substance. "Malaysia had the potential to be something good," said Associate Professor Bridget Welsh. "But because it doesn't have substance, it hasn't evolved. And because the prime minister used it as a campaign slogan, it's become divisive rather than unifying."