KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan today invited Kamala Harris to visit her Malaysian “kampung” for some local food if she wins the US presidential election next Tuesday.
Mohamad, known locally as Tok Mat, took to Facebook to express surprise and delight at learning that a “Malaysian” was vying to be the next US president, in what appears to be a playful dig at US talk show host Tucker Carlson.
“We were not aware that a Malaysian was running for the office of US President,” Mohamad said on Facebook.
“Should Puan Kamala win the race, we are delighted to invite her to #balikkampung and try some #nasigorengUSA,” he added.
Carlson, a known supporter of Republican political rival Donald Trump, had referred to Harris, who is the Democratic Party representative, as “Samoan-Malaysian” at a recent rally in New York.
Harris was born in California to an Indian immigrant mother, Shyamala Gopalan, and a Jamaican father, Donald Harris, who is of Afro-Jamaican descent.
Her mixed cultural heritage has been the subject of heated conversation in the run-up to the US presidential election on November 5.
Nasi goreng USA is the local name of a fried rice dish said to contain prawns, squid, and chicken meat as the three letters refer to the ingredients in Malay – udang, sotong, and ayam.
