BFM Statement Lacks Emotional Conviction
In respect of the allegations of sexual harassment, two employees
have been served termination letters for misconduct. The Board has
determined that there is sufficient evidence to warrant this course
of action
On Monday, January 7th, 2019, 36 days after announcing that it had begun formal investigations into sexual misconducts by several senior employees as alleged in an anonymous email, BFM issued a third statement into the matter stating that it had sacked two persons based on "sufficient evidence to warrant this course of action". The popular radio station also explained that it did not make a police report of a separately alleged rape incident "as the complainant did not wish to escalate the matter at the time".
BFM's communication process throughout this entire scandal is mostly on point and checks almost all the boxes I personally look at in a crisis. In fact, I wrote about the five key considerations in crisis communications, in early 2018, with regards to the Facebook - Cambridge Analytica issue, which I have linked here.
http://52.220.132.35/top-5-pr-truths-to-keep-in-mind-with-the-fb-ca-scandal/
So here is my dissection of BFM's communications based on my five points, :
- As soon as it became aware of the anonymous email, BFM immediately spoke with its employees and followed this with a public statement. It even cleverly took to social media.
- BFM did not deny that there was any truth to the sexual misconduct allegations and instead announced that it had initiated an independent investigation into the matter.
- The station was quick to act and fast to make a stand before the email was publicly made known by the media thus taking ownership of the situation.
- BFM has indicated how it plans to tackle this issue moving forward and even mentions a timeline.
I read the latest statement that appeared to say all the right things, yet strangely, I felt unmoved by what was said. It took me three reads before I realised why. The statement was lacking the one crucial element that I personally find important when communicating in a crisis and that is the emotional conviction by the management, led by Malek Ali. All I read, was a whisper of an apology.
The gravity of the issue surely demands stronger words than
The BFM management team acknowledges that more could have been done to proactively gather evidence so that such misconduct could have been addressed in a more timely manner.
Perhaps I am simple-minded, but I would have greater respect for BFM's management and its commitment to this matter if they simply said "we are sorry" or "we take full responsibility". After all, none of the harassment or rape issues would have come to light if that damning email had not been sent to the various media and the only reason BFM has sacked its star performers is because all eyes are on them, and management delivered the pound of flesh demanded of them.
So, despite having played the crisis card well, I am left disappointed. At this juncture where the organisation's morale and reputation are at an all-time low, there is little to lose by being the bigger person in recognising that as management, the fault is largely on you for your failure to curb such transgressions and ensuring non-gender fairness and safety at your workplace.
All is not lost though, and statements are merely words.
BFM's next actions in putting in place a zero tolerance policy, as it claims, against sexual misconduct will be watched by many quarters, and how the management embraces and enforces such policies in its growing workplace will speak for its true emotional conviction on this matter. Has everything that has come to pass merely been BFM's commendable reaction to a crisis or will it use this opportunity to turn the organisation around and show the rest of us, how to be better as employers.
In the meantime and for many years to come, BFM's handling of this scandal will be widely discussed, debated and dissected by practitioners of PR, HR and compliance.
Written by Janitha Sukumaran, Founder of Rantau Golin
Is BFM On The Right Track?
An anonymous email alleging sexual harassment misconduct at Malaysia's widely followed radio station BFM is sent out to various media houses and simultaneously as the story breaks on December 1st 2018, the station issues a statement and also uploads it onto its social media platforms - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.
Did BFM handle this crisis well to start with?
Timing
BFM responded immediately and took the bold decision to share its statement on social media. Not many organisations would have done so. In fact the normal modus operandi by most organsations when hit with a crisis of such nature would be to respond as and when required and not to spread the net of possible exposure too wide. So I have to say bravo to BFM for being transparent and forthcoming in acknowledging this email and assuring its stakeholders of its commitment to investigate the allegations and intent to provide a safe environment for employees.
Various people within BFM have also said that when it had got wind that the email was in circulation with the media, the organisation had addressed its employees in small groups to inform them of what was happening and that it will look into the matter seriously. Once again, this was a proactive move on the part of BFM and one that should be commended. Furthermore, instead of taking the easy route by holding a town hall style meeting with one message to fit all, the approach of group sessions allows for more discourse and gives the organisation a chance to show its concern in a more personal manner.
Communications
In the space of five days, BFM has issued two statements.
The first went out on December 1:
It is a fair albeit non-committal statement that I personally cannot fault as an immediate response. It does four things:
i) Acknowledges that certain allegations have been made
ii) Alludes to a probable internal investigation
iii) Commits to ensure a safe and fear-free environment to enable reporting of misdeeds
iv) Claims reviews of its existing reporting processes
While the media have practiced ethical reporting by not publishing any of the names contained within the rather explicit email, the same cannot be said for netizens who are sharing the email in its totality via WhatsApp and on their feeds. Some of them have even shared the email on official social media sites belonging to news portals and newspapers. In these instances I believe the media should practice its discretion as owners of such sites and either take down such postings or blank out the names of the alleged victims.
In fact, I call on anyone who feels the need to share any content that contain names of sexual victims to at least black out their names before posting it. Every time it is posted and shared, you too are harassing these victims who are already vulnerable, and victimising them further.
The next statement from BFM appeared on Dec 3, this time saying that it has started investigations, and that it will be appointing an independent party to assist in the investigations.
Does this statement say enough though?
Many individuals and groups have called for proper investigations and transparency into how the matter will be handled. Perhaps it is time for BFM to share the process it will initiate, a timeline of when it expects to conclude investigations and share findings, and who will be assisting in this investigation. All those following this story are hoping for fair and just actions to be taken, should the allegations prove true. Eyeballs are on BFM to see how they will conduct themselves.
"purpose is to build a better Malaysia by championing rational, evidence-based discourse as a key element of good policy decisions"
In fact this is an excellent opportunity for BFM to lead the way in putting together a tighter zero-tolerance policy against sexual harassment and assault at the work place with a better plan for enforcement and reporting of misconducts. Media houses can be a hot bed for harassment as there are many people who are in powerful positions, who can get carried away with assumed god-like powers. When there are people who are powerful, there are people who will feel powerless.
BFM has been known to discuss matters often shun by other mainstream media and has on numerous occasions over the years invited guests to discuss both workplace and domestic sexual harassment and violence on its talk shows. It should now prove that it can walk its talk and even better its own sexual harassment policy over the slim protection provided by our current legal system. BFM describes that its "purpose is to build a better Malaysia by championing rational, evidence-based discourse as a key element of good policy decisions".
So, use this crisis BFM, and show us what you can do in "building first-world mindsets" as you claim on Facebook.
Written by Janitha Sukumaran, Founder of Rantau Golin
Time To Reboot – You Are Now Pro-Gov
By Janitha Sukumaran
Founder & Consulting Director
May 2018
Reform is multi-fold.
When a new government is elected, there are numerous changes that need to take place. It is not just a question of who will make up a new cabinet and what existing systems and processes need to be looked into. A bigger and more immediate issue is ensuring that the newly-elected government and all its coalition partners and members understand the process that will take place in the formation of this new entity and appreciate the need for a singular front.
The Pakatan Harapan consists of four member parties, each with its own game plan. Many of its members have always played the opposition and the rule of thumb in this position in politics is clear – challenge the government.
As much as all opposition parties aspire to be the governing party, the question remains if they are ready to take this on with a new mindset.
A government is like an organisation, and getting the right public perception from the start is key to creating trust and credibility, thus building customer loyalty. The main customer segment of a government is the people, the rakyat.
Internal Communications
In public relations, organisations are always advised to ensure that it practices what it preaches and this starts from within the organisation. The success of any external communications depends on how well members of the organisation understand what the organisation’s vision, mission and promise are. They need to be aware of the direction the organisation will take. They must respect that the decisions made by the leadership of the organisation is in the best interest of its members and customers.
The same goes for the government. All members of each party within the Pakatan Harapan coalition, which is now the ruling government, must appreciate the importance of the aforementioned, and this is achieved through real-time communications by each party secretariat to its members.
Lapses, or even worse, non-communication will result in confusion and dissident operators who will unhinge the unity that needs to be maintained post-elections and beyond the first 100 days.
One Voice
Once members of an organisation have been updated on the position of the organisation, it is then necessary for each member to adhere to the communications protocol of spokespersons. There is usually one key spokesperson, in this case the Prime Minister, and then secondary spokespersons, we can call them the Ministers, who are sanctioned to speak on behalf of the government on pre-determined matters.
The one thing that all these appointed spokespersons agree to undertake is to speak in One Voice. This means that spokespersons are unified in appreciating what the end result of their actions and communications is.
When you have every single member of the organisation assuming the right to speak and comment, then you have a fractured organisation that creates confusion amongst customers, which then leads to a question of credibility and trust for this organisation that is visibly broken.
Challenge Internally; Project Solidarity Externally
The best of organisations invites its members to challenge it, but it also stresses on the need for this to be done in a respectful and structured manner. These organisations learn to improve themselves to become stronger and better based on internal feedback. Such exchanges take place within the organisation. Once decisions are reached, all members must stand in solidarity in the eyes of its wider audience. Any show of discord in public is a show of weakness within the organisation.
Members of Pakatan Harapan must realise that it is no longer acceptable for individual members to publicly voice their dissatisfaction on decisions made by leaders, to demand punishments for organisations and individuals and to make independent comments that can and will threaten the coalition. It is time to rein in individual ideologies now that they are on the other side of the fence.
Pakatan Harapan should also seriously consider the need to train and mentor its newly-elected Members of Parliament and future ministers, many of whom are taking public office for the first time, on rethinking their future positions. Training and mentoring are offered in any credible organisation for new and even existing members to ensure that they have the support, tools and acumen required to be successful in their positions. So why not offer this to the newly minted MPs, who need to reboot their mindset in appreciating how to change their playbook as a government official and advocate.
Pakatan Harapan members need to realise that they are now pro-government and any challenge against their coalition must be done within the boardroom. This is new unchartered territory for all, but the need for a fresh approach is imperative. While going rogue on social media as the opposition was necessary, these members must now understand that such behaviour against the decision and direction of the coalition is neither valid nor attractive. Just like how organisations have communications policies in place, which includes rules for social media speech and interaction to protect its reputation, so should political parties, especially the ruling government.
Pakatan Harapan is like a quadripartite joint-venture and like all JVs, it will face many teething issues. However, there can only be one clear leader and a new set of rules to adhere to. It is important for all members to quickly appreciate that they are now pro-government and to be successful, they must now heed their own call for reform.
The Malaysian voters who gave Pakatan Harapan the mandate to rule, with the hope for change, must believe that they made the right choice. It is Pakatan Harapan’s task as the ruling coalition to now ensure that this change begins from within.
###
The WhatsApp Elections
Just like me, most of you, or nearly everyone reading this, will have had their overload of election messages on their group chats streaming in daily since the date of the election was announced.
Never before have we been inundated with so many messages from the various quarters from every conceivable chat group. The information more often than not is always false and most of the time dates back from 2013 (the time of the last election). This of course will not stop supporters of both sides sharing wildly and without checking, the authenticity of said messages. This is why I believe - where the last election was the first one to be fought on social media, this election will be fought via the more “personal" social media channel, WhatsApp.
The WhatsApp chat group has penetration far beyond what traditional or even electronic media can reach and its impact is even more pervasive and instant. It also allows for the recipient to forward ‘breaking news' to the other chat groups in an instant, which is gold in this age of instant gratification.
Now you can watch ceramah after ceramah online and then instantly forward the clip, thus making it viral in a few minutes. Imagine the reach in the rural areas where a data plan, Facebook and WhatsApp are basically your everyday entertainment.
Now we all have our right as voters to be informed as much as possible before we cast our vote. Unfortunately most of the "news" on social media and WhatsApp remain largely false and without substance. This is dangerous in a society where we are not mature enough to handle such incorrect information, leading to incidents started just by WhatsApp rumours.
Information is the key to any electorate and we are in an age where we are either blessed or cursed by the amount we are exposed to.
Vote wisely my fellow Malaysians, we have only one country.
Top 5 PR Truths To Keep In Mind With The FB-CA Scandal
Written by Janitha Sukumaran, Founder & Consulting Director of Rantau PR Malaysia
Top 5 PR Truths To Keep In Mind With The FB-CA Scandal
Brand Guardians will tell you that nothing kills a brand faster than a damaged reputation. Yet here we are with front row seats to the Facebook debacle involving privacy and public trust of its 50+ million users, whose information were misappropriated by political research firm Cambridge Analytica. Popcorn will come in handy as you watch the screens as Facebook’s shares plunge (down by 18% on March 27 since the data breach news broke on March 16) and users contemplate whether to stay or leave with the #DeleteFacebook campaign gaining traction online.
So are we learning anything as we discuss this growing scandal over drinks and via social media. Well here are 5 quick reminders from a public relations perspective.
#1 If you are aware of an escalating and potentially scandalous problem within your organisation or as a result of a business practice, then fix it immediately. With social media being the biggest gossip medium, your problem will soon become everyones business, more so if everyone knows your name.
#2 Do not lie when reality and truth is staring you in the face. If you have tried to ignore this problem all this while, it really is time to speak up when the proverbial s#$! hits the fan.
#3 Respond fast. It shows an actual concern about the problem and a sincere desire to resolve it. The longer you sit on it, the more you lose credibility as a spokesperson and as a business.
#4 Shelve your pride. Relearn the feeling of being humble and the art of apologising, especially if you think you are on top of your game and may start mistaking yourself for god. It is not difficult to say “I am sorry”. Try it today.
#5 Be forthcoming about how you are going to fix the problem. What is your strategy to ensure that it does not happen again; how important are your customers to you and your business; what will you do to make things right again and re-earn your customer’s trust. Do not let it all be just talk; put it to action immediately.
If none of these steps resonate with you and show you how to navigate through your minefield of shame, then your business really deserves to be blown up and your customers should shun you.
After all, “You can learn great things from your mistakes when you aren’t busy denying them.” – Stephen R. Covey author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
###
Is Scaramucci An Impetuous Brat or A Potential PR Whiz?
Written by Janitha Sukumaran, Founder & Consulting Director of Rantau PR Malaysia
Have you read Anthony Scaramucci’s communications plan for the White House and President Trump? Well, I did, and I am confused, as there is such a disconnect between the plan and the controversial hothead who supposedly drafted it. There are just too many recommendations that run contrary to The Mooch’s action in his 10-day tenure as White House Communications Director, when he seemed to have been on a one-man public relations mission to outdo his boss’ unorthodox, no-apology style of conversing.
Take his Priority #1 - Improve the Culture
The Plan:
This is the key—everything is possible with a good culture, nothing is possible without it
Scaramucci’s action:
Foul-mouthed tirrade against two senior colleagues calling the then chief of staff, Reince Priebus, “a f***g paranoid schizophrenic”, and alluded that unlike Steve Bannon, the chief strategist, “I’m not trying to suck my own c***k” in courting media attention.
Then, there was his outburst to “f**king kill all the leakers in the White House” as he believed that someone had leaked his dinner engagement with Trump, Melania and several media personalities.
Priority #2 - Comms is a Customer Service Operation
The Plan:
The media is an important Comms customer
- POTUS can choose to fight with the media, but Comms can not.
-Comms should seek to de-escalate tensions with the media.
Scaramucci’s action:
Dissing New Yorker correspondent Ryan Lizza’s tell-all article via twitter “I made a mistake in trusting in a reporter. It won’t happen again.”
The Plan:
All Comms actions/decisions need to be evaluated through one and only one prism
—does it help POTUS. To this end, I will lead by example and make sure that my
overall conduct, tweets, internal and external comments meet this standard
Scaramucci’s action – Where do we start….. It is fair to state that even Trump was shocked by his Communications Director’s choice of words and action, enough to agree to his removal by the new chief of staff John F. Kelly.
The Plan consists of 5 priorities with over 30 points each with additional subpoints. While some points sound naïve and altogether ambitious, especially for the Boss, overall it actually is a pretty good public relations plan, and if fleshed out and implemented, may have led to some interesting outcomes. Furthermore, there was actually a ‘To-Do List’, with some of the bullet points, once again, in complete contradiction with Scaramucci’s past opinions of some of the people he was planning on meeting.
Here are 15 points from the Plan that I have picked out, which are hopeful in either identifying an issue or providing a course of action for the White House and Trump.
Taken from CNN Politics (as printed, so mind you, this was a draft that they published) (http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/02/politics/scaramucci-comms-plan-text-only/index.html)
i) Implement a series of professionalizing initiatives immediately. For example, no WH communication staffer goes home without returning all calls, emails, and texts. People may not like our answers—but they should always be treated professionally and respectfully (obviously, this starts with the new Director of Communications)
ii) Recognize good work in a consistent and formal way. Establish a meritocracy where real contributions to Comms are recognized
iii) Upgrade talent incrementally - prioritize culture. New communication staffers must make others better/more effective. We need to be a great team, not a collection of talented individuals with their own agendas.
iv) A rapid response group dedicated to handling hot issues/crises to ensure more effective responses while enabling Comms to stay on point/message and conduct normal operations (i.e. the Clinton White House Lewinsky model).
v) Comms should establish a constructive "complaint box" for the media to make complaints. Where possible, Comms will seek to make changes that make sense. Regardless, relations with the media will improve if their complaints are welcomed and considered.
vi) Comms talent throughout the administration has been underutilized. This can be remedied by sharing information freely, soliciting input, treating colleagues professionally, and coordinated empowerment
vii) Comms needs to be run like a news channel with producers, scripts, and narration.
viii) Comms needs to act as a gatekeeper/air traffic controller over all external communications from the small (i.e. email blasts) to the large (i.e. cabinet member appearances on Sunday shows). To do this, Comms must be super responsive. For example, Cabinet members need to be well-informed, well-prepared, and fully supported in a timely manner (i.e. not on the morning of an appearance)
ix) Comms needs to better explain how POTUS's actions are helping Americans. For example, deregulation is an abstract concept to most voters. We need to illustrate, with real life examples, how lifting burdensome regulations produces jobs
x) Comms needs to equip POTUS with opportunities to make many more positive announcements. The ratio of positive to negative is out of balance, and the responsibility to correct this lies with Comms. There are achievements/wins throughout the government that go unpublicized. Comms should help POTUS convey a Reaganesque "happy warrior" image by sourcing and packaging these wins. Comms should study the ratio of "good," "neutral," and "negative" communications from POTUS and help move the ratio towards the "good."
xi) POTUS should regularly provide op-ed pieces to major publications. The op-eds will (almost always) produce the story of the day, and POTUS will be setting the terms of the discussion. Op-eds provide a vehicle for him to articulate his policies and ideas in a well-reasoned, thoughtful and persuasive way. Most Presidents have used op-eds sparingly to maximize effect. But, the media world has changed, and POTUS should write frequent op-eds to advance his agenda (and use adversarial newspapers to his own advantage).
xii) Rather than traditional press conferences, POTUS should take questions from real citizens via Facebook live and/or other social media platforms.
xiii) The message should be that businesses are investing more and creating more jobs because they have confidence. The source of their confidence is the election of a successful businessman to the Presidency.
xiv) Every positive piece of economic data needs to echo throughout the Comms ecosystem, and Comms needs to find ways to connect positive economic data to real people. The growth in new jobs is life changing for every day Americans.
xv) When the media or Democrats attack POTUS, Comms should pivot to the
economy. For example, real Americans do not care about palace intrigue in the White House. POTUS is leading and fostering an economy that makes their lives better. That's what real people care about.
Some content of this communications plan were apparently articulated by Scaramucci in a draft memo to White House staff on July 30, a day before he was fired. Could this plan have been the turnaround for his own behaviour the previous week and his subsequent tweet, an attempt of an apology. Would this plan have worked in reshaping the ever-increasing negative perception of Trump’s Presidency? Whatever the inspiration behind this plan, Scaramucci has successfully tainted the image of the West Wing and his successor has a titanic clean up task ahead.
It would be interesting to know though, who came up with the communications plan in the first place, if not Scaramucci, cause that person(s) should be recruited to the team for having some vision and hope to right a PR chaos happening inside and outside the House. If it actually was Scaramucci, then too bad that his misguided passion to mirror Trump brought about his all too soon death as White House Communications Director and reaffirmed early scepticism that he is not cut out for a job in public relations.
As much as I am affronted by The Mooch’s actions in the name of public relations, I feel rather cheated actually, cause it would have been interesting to know how he would reimagine Trump as a “Happy Warrior” and what he would have done to raffle off a round of golf with POTUS.
###
If you're a little behind on what is going here, catch up on it at this link.
When Your Communications Director Turns Rogue
Written by Janitha Sukumaran, Founder & Consulting Director of Rantau PR Malaysia
In any organisation - government, corporate, non-profit – a Communications Director champions the vision and mission that have been crystalised. He manages both internal and external communications, and often becomes a key spokesperson for the organisation. He speaks in ‘One Voice’ with the leader of the organisation and should put his ego and personal ideologies aside if he is to be successful in this position.
So, when a Communications Director detracts from the messages that have been agreed upon, there is bound to be chaos in the house, and should he remain in this position, then the organisation must brace itself for ‘disrupted business’ compounded with embarrassment. At this point, it is time to fire the spokesperson.
This pretty much happened in the White House. Its 10-day old (temporary) Communications Director, Anthony Scaramucci aka The Mooch, was fired by newly appointed Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, with President Trump’s blessings.
Should a CEO sink with a damaged ship or start building his raft?
The CEO is an essential component of a company’s branding. The CEO is the face of the company. The CEO should always say ‘we’ when talking about the company during media interviews. This all-inclusive personal pronoun is emphasised by PR practitioners when media training a CEO.
It was therefore interesting to note that 1MDB’s CEO, Arul Kanda seemed to take extra measure to minimise the use of ‘we’ when he was interviewed over BFM’s The Breakfast Grille and for Mr Kanda personally, rightly so.
Ultimately, any CEO must be marketable and while he represents a company during his tenure, this person must position himself worthy of a future engagement elsewhere. In light of the intense global media spotlight on the 1MDB scandal, it is understandable and perhaps even a necessary act of self-preservation for Mr Kanda to distance himself publicly, when possible. As such, it is noteworthy that Mr Kanda more frequently referred to the company he was representing by its name.
It was certainly a brave move by Mr Kanda to be interviewed in the first place, which although sadly did not reveal anything new, definitely showcased him as a capable spokesperson. He was articulate in his explanations and defence against various allegations 1MDB has been accused of; astute enough to deflect probing questions while standing his ground; and sufficiently stoic to ensure his voice was heard in the midst of the flurry of questions. He sounded like a cool customer, never once actually rising to the bait being thrown at him at what many had expected to be a fiery session.
Many Whatsapp group chats and Facebook postings were abuzz after the interview voicing their disappointment with the radio station and its interviewers for not being tenacious enough, but seriously, what did they expect? New information that has not already appeared in every media? A revelation of what exactly happened to the mysterious fund? Or perhaps a confession on air that would finally put this hotly debated matter to rest. The Breakfast Grille interviewers did their best by pushing the necessary questions, knowing very well that the answers would be contrived, although in this case, perhaps Mr Kanda was more lightly toasted than grilled. In fact, the only reason it even got airtime on public radio was because it was pre-recorded, thus giving the ‘authorities’ the right to can it if it was deemed damaging.
For BFM, it was great marketing, as the interview most likely recorded one of the highest listenership and the podcast would probably be downloaded and shared by the thousands.
Basically, Mr Kanda was heard by thousands without directly incriminating himself or further damaging the already dented reputation of 1MBD, no easy feat under the current circumstances. For a crisis that has not only gripped our nation, but continues to headline publications around the world, Mr Kanda did a better job with The Breakfast Grille Q&A than many of our politicians generally fare with any interview.
My (more than) 2 sens is that I do not think Mr Kanda can or will be ‘Mr Fixit’ for 1MBD, but in this interview, he was definitely a brave Mr Skirtit.
Is he a marketable CEO? I will say yes but he may want to lose some of that perpetual smile. It is disturbing.
By Janitha Sukumaran
Founder & Consulting Director, Rantau
Lego Star Wars Miniland in Legoland, Johor Bahru
Who here grew up playing with Lego bricks and building and rebuilding their dream home or city with just their imaginations? Who here has done so while humming the March of the Empire under their breaths? And instead of their dream house or city, they are building the Death Star.
Well, to all those Star Wars Lego nuts in Malaysia, the mothership has landed in Legoland JB.
*Cue music*
In a southern part of Malaysia far far far far far away (from Kuala Lumpur), a new attraction has opened up within the colourful world of Legoland Malaysia. In an event that was as grand as the franchise it represented, the doors were opened to the media from Singapore and Malaysia for a sneak peak of the attraction.
Well, it was more of a different planet that was out of this world than an attraction. Several different planets in fact.
Did you know....that Legoland Malaysia's Lego Star Wars Miniland is the first of its kind to be held indoors and in an air-conditioned building? So if you need to escape the heat and humidity, you now know where to go!
At the entrance, guests are greeted by the stoic forms of C3PO and R2-D2. Moving along, they will enter a room where they are entertained by a short clip starring a random Stormtrooper and Darth Vader. And upon entering the doorways into first section, you are greeted by a lovely display of colours and craftsmanship.
Walk in further into the other sections and admire the different planets of Star Wars.
And once you are drawn into the worlds of Star Wars, what better way to end the tour that with a store selling only Star Wars lego sets. Feel free to go crazy here as you will find a magnitude of lego sets that will just make your inner child squeal in delight.
Even if you missed the chance to buy the Death Star at this store, the shop by the entrance also carries more or less the same sets of Lego Star Wars for your shopping pleasure.