Members of the Padang Rengas Aunties' Club has rallied behind Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz, amid the flak received by the latter over his remark against tycoon Robert Kuok.

In an interview with Nanyang Siang Pau, some 20 members of the club, set up by Nazri himself in 2015, defended the video in which they were seen singing a Chinese love song with the Padang Rengas MP, during a Chinese New Year event, earlier this month.

"They (the critics) are not us, they are not locals either, they never came into contact with Nazri, thus they do not understand our friendship with the minister - we are like family.

"Outsiders do not have a clear picture as they do not 'blend in' with the lives of Padang Rengas folk," the members were quoted saying.

The women said they were not a group of illiterates, but homemakers who read the news and are able to distinguish from right to wrong.

They are merely repaying the "meticulous" care given by their MP Nazri, with respect, they added.

The club chairperson Teng Wei Hoong, who is also Nazri's aide, said his boss formed the club to provide a platform for the women from the Chinese New Villages in Padang Rengas to join various activities in the society. The club reportedly has 500 members.

Nazri recently came under fire over his "pondan" jibe against Hong Kong-based Malaysian tycoon Kuok.