Central Clarendon Member of Parliament Mike Henry has raised objections to the visit of British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott to Jamaica.

Mr. Prescott, who arrived in the island on Tuesday, was here to participate in activities to commemorate the bicentenary of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade in Africans.

Mr. Henry registered his objection on Tuesday when he walked out of a meeting of the Bicentennial Committee on Slavery, with the visiting deputy Prime Minister at the University of the West Indies.

In a release yesterday, Mr. Henry said the deputy prime minister's visit "demonstrated insensitivity of the Caribbean people's feelings on the subject of reparation, which had gained much international momentum, but had not surfaced on the deputy prime minister's itinerary in Jamaica".

No full apology

Mr. Prescott had ruled out full apology on the matter, and had instead said the U.K. would concentrate on assisting African countries.

However Mr. Henry said yesterday that such a position should not be accepted.

"We all know what happened, and how we all as a people feel about it, so why should we entertain this British official on our front lawns with him being not prepared to discuss this matter, which is of such a heart-wrenching concern to us?" he asked.

Mr. Henry said that, 'unlike some people', he was not prepared to play the hypocrite on the issue, hence his public stance on the matter and his non-acceptance of a patronising visit being carried out with great disrespect to the country's Parliament.