Umno Supreme Council member Nazri Abdul Aziz has sarcastically thanked former minister Rafidah Aziz for remarking that she paid him no thought, saying that it would damage his popularity if there was an “old aunty” who was thinking about him every day.

"I thank Rafidah for telling the public that she never thought about me, because otherwise my personal market share would drop if an old aunty was to think about me every day," the Tourism and Culture Minister was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian.

Nazri was responding to Rafidah’s tongue-lashing for describing her as an “old woman who rants too much” over her criticisms of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak administration and the 1MDB scandal.

He had also claimed that Rafidah was bitter about losing her Umno Wanita chief post to current chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

Speaking to Malaysiakini last week, Rafidah urged Nazri to address the issues she had raised rather than launch into personal attacks over her age.

"I don't even think of you in my daily life!

"Focus on putting right the wrongs already done," said Rafidah, who was dubbed the ‘Iron Lady’ during her time in cabinet.

'Just jealous'

According to Sinar Harian, Nazri insisted that Rafidah’s remarks only served to confirm his belief that she is "envious and jealous" of Shahrizat (photo).

He claimed that Rafidah’s criticism of the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) scandal showed that she was still affected by her defeat nine years ago.

Nazri said that since Shahrizat had been cleared of involvement in the case – which was first revealed in the 2011 Auditor-General's report – Rafidah should respect the authorities' decision on the matter.

"I know she's wearing thick glasses but please read the papers. The case has been dropped so there is no case.

"I think the (draft) Anti-Fake News Bill is made because of people like her (Rafidah)... the news (that linked Shahrizat to NFC) has become fake news," he was quoted as saying.

Nazri even took Rafidah's admission that she had not paid her Umno membership fees in the last decade as further evidence of her disappointment after being dropped from cabinet in 2008, and her subsequent loss to Shahrizat a year later.

"That is why I felt she (Rafidah) is really envious and jealous of Shahrizat. She said she had not been an Umno member for 10 years, she did not pay her fees. We did not know that, but she revealed her own dirty secret.

"This proves that she was disappointed for being dropped. So it is confirmed, she is really disappointed, and she has merely confirmed what I said before," he said.

Of late, Umno veteran Rafidah, along with special adviser to the government Rais Yatim, have been especially vocal on the government’s apparent inaction over the seizure of businessperson Low Taek Jho's luxury yacht Equanimity in Indonesia.