Now Prescott drops a colonial clanger on visit to 'Malaya'
By Sebastien Berger in Kepong
London Daily telegraph.
Last Updated: 1:40am GMT 30/10/2006
After five days of studiously keeping his own counsel on a tour of Asia, John Prescott opened his mouth yesterday only to get wrong the name of the country he was in.
The Deputy Prime Minister spoke after touring a rainforest research facility outside the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
"It's very nice to be here in Malaya," he said, using the country's old colonial name before correcting himself.
Asked how his trip had been, he said: "It's been very successful. I have missed most of the press most of the time."
Critics had questioned the selection of Mr Prescott to represent the country on a four-country, nine-day tour in the wake of North Korea's missile test. Before arriving in Malaysia he travelled to South Korea, Japan and China, meeting leaders including the Japanese prime minister and the United Nations secretary-general elect, Ban Ki-Moon.
But the error-prone MP for Hull East chose to avoid the press throughout. Instead, only short statements were issued. Aides sought to avoid an addition to Mr Prescott's history of scandals and gaffes, which included an affair with his secretary Tracey Temple and meetings with Philip Anschutz, the American owner of the Millennium Dome.
A spokesman in his delegation of about half a dozen people said: "He's meeting ministers and prime ministers and will report to the Prime Minister when he gets back."
The Malaysian leg of his journey was designed partly to encourage religious tolerance and understanding in what is a moderate Muslim nation.
But he managed to draw flak for an article he wrote in Malaysia's Star newspaper, praising the country's religious harmony.
"I'm keen to learn more about Malaysia's approach to being a successful, multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-cultural society in a rapidly changing world," he wrote.
Malaysia, an ethnically very mixed society, has avoided major inter-racial strife for decades and is one of the few Islamic countries never to suffer a terrorist attack.
However, tensions remain below the surface, with Muslim Malays given preference in areas including education and government contracts.
"As I read it [the article] I was wondering what country he was talking about," said Sivarasa Rasiah, a board member of the human rights group Suaram. "Prescott has got it wrong."
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Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka,
from the HD Committee and its decision.
