A peek at the Malaysian Prime Minister’s office, a tour of Malaysia’s first intelligent city and a talk by the News Straits Times Press. These were some of the places in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur visited by a delegation of IPRS members in July.

Braving the Causeway crowd, the group of 25 headed by bus for Kuala Lumpur for a 3-day sojourn hosted by the Institute of Public Relations of Malaysia (IPRM).

A key attraction they visited was Putrajaya, where the group saw the Malaysian premier’s offices. Located about 25 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya is a planned city being built according to a series of comprehensive polices and guidelines for land use, transportation system, utilities, infrastructure, housing, public amenities, information technology, parks and gardens.

Next on the list was Cyberjaya, Malaysia’s first intelligent city. Due for completion in 2011, Cyberjaya promises to be the city of the future, housing many IT and technology companies.

Members of the twin institutes also gathered for an informal breakfast talk, hosted by New Straits Times Press (NSTP), where Datuk Ahmad A. Talib, NSTP’s GGM of Communications and Editorial Marketing, spoke about the media scenario in Malaysia.

“We thank NSTP for hosting us. Their presentation provided interesting insights into Malaysia’s media scene. An insider’s assessment into this market is invaluable information for Singapore PR practitioners to gain better understanding and promote cross-border PR practices,” said K. Bhavani, IPRS President.

This was followed by a panel discussion on the challenges of PR from an ASEAN media perspective, presented by Dato’ Prof. Syed Arabi Idid of International Islamic University Malaysia, Hamidah Karim of Prestige Communications Sdn. Bhd., and Ms. K. Bhavani, President of IPRS. The session, moderated by Ghazalie Abdullah of GRA Associates, heard the speakers sharing their views on the cultural context in which the ASEAN PR industry operates. The panel urged PR students to meet the growing demands of the market, to raise the standards of practice by seeking accreditation, and called for the development of a self-regulating PR Act.

Serious “business” aside, IPRS members had some fun thrown in during the visit. Two wonderful dinners and a cultural performance afterwards, plus shopping at Chinatown’s Petaling Street and a quick bus stopover for a bite of RAMLEE burger, what more could one ask for?