A stretch too far

THE backlash against Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming’s suggestion that Malaysia applies for Chinese New Villages in Selangor to have Unesco World Heritage Site status was swift and all too predictable.

This was apparently another case of the minister putting his foot in his mouth or jumping the gun (both idioms apply in this case). The storm of criticism, mainly from the Malay community, has forced him to backtrack. The proposal is now apparently at the “preliminary” stage and needs Cabinet approval first.