“Why in the course of my duties must I follow what MCA wants?

“I am not in any way indebted to them in the election for my constituency,” he said in an interview with FMT.

The Umno Supreme Council member explained that back during the 2013 General Election, MCA’s Padang Rengas division decided to boycott him, urging not only their members to avoid voting for him, but had also instigated the Chinese in the area to do the same.

Nazri claimed that the boycott had not been lifted even till today.

“This meant that in the last general election, I did not contest with the support of this MCA division.

“So, how am I indebted to MCA? Because of that, I don’t care about what they say.

“(But) don’t try to teach me that in Barisan Nasional (BN) you can’t shake hands or hug the Opposition members.

“Show me a code of conduct that stops BN members from doing so.”

Nazri’s remarks came following criticism by Negeri Sembilan MCA Chairman Lim Chin Fui, who slammed him for getting chummy with DAP’s Seremban MP Anthony Loke while the former was in Titi on Saturday, at one of his stops during his visit to Jelebu.

“It looks like he (Nazri) has forgotten his identity,” Chin Fui reportedly posted on his Facebook last Sunday.

Nazri said he had told MCA President Liow Tiong Lai that he would not attack the party, but that Lim had provoked him for no reason, prompting a response.

He added that he knew better than Lim, and that the latter’s narrow views were a bad example to follow.

“I contested five times and I won five times. Why? Because I am rakyat-friendly.

“I don’t care about their religion, their race, or which party they support. There is no reason for me to follow the way of MCA leaders.”

He then joked that if MCA feared his friendship with Loke would make the Chinese support DAP, then MCA should be nice to him as he has more influence among the Chinese than they do.