Last week on Wesak Day (28 May), the Institute of Public Relations Malaysia (IPRM) hosted "Fellow meets Fellow Dinner" at Lake Club. Distinguished guests at the dinner were YB P. Kamalanathan, the newly-elected MP for Hulu Selangor and his wife. Also present among others were IPRM president Dato Mohd Hamdan Adnan, former president Shameem Abdul Jalil, Dr. Kiranjit Kaur, a UiTM lecturer and IPRM council member, and Hamidah Karim, a public relations consultant and a fellow of IPRM.

Kamalanathan in fact had been a council member of IPRM and had served as honorary secretary for two years before I assumed the post in 2008. The dinner was indeed also in his honor for IPRM  to express its sincere gratitude and congratulations to Kamalanathan for having won the by-election and making his way to parliament.

In his speech thanking the council members for inviting him to the dinner, he said he owed his victory very much to the practice of public relations. He was proud to say it was his public relations career and his involvement as a public relations practitioner that taught him many lessons in politics and to handle campaigns that he had to go through recently. He said he applied most of the principles of human relations and public relations throughout the political campaigns. Of course he received good support from the nation's leadership as well as the mainstream media. In fact, he has had a good rapport and a close working relations with the mainstream media even before he was nominated as a candidate for the election. He was widely exposed to the media and obviously he did not face much of a problem in getting positive coverage and attention in the media. He thanked IPRM for him to have had the opportunity to gain experience and professional exposure while serving the professional body.

The fact that a former council member of IPRM and a public relations practitioner has successfully made his way to parliament to represent a constituency is a real pride to IPRM. It shows the practice of public relations is useful every where, including in politics and in building a credible image. We therefore would like to wish YB Kamalanathan a success in his career and future endeavor as well as in his contributions to the nation.

In the words of the IPRM President, "This is just the beginning. Certainly a lot more challenges await the new MP, particularly in meeting the needs and expectations of voters...  Come the next general election in two or three years' time it would be a real test for him whether or not he has delivered."