Wangsa Maju MP Zahir Hassan has defended his continued ties with former PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli, saying their relationship should not signal his intent to leave PKR.

“I am close to Rafizi. Just because he left and formed Bersama, does that mean I have to fall out with him, stop speaking to him, or be afraid to meet him? That cannot be the case.

“We are human beings. He has his position, and I have mine,” Zahir (above) told Malaysiakini when met in Parliament yesterday.

He said political differences should not prevent former colleagues from maintaining ties, adding that managing such relationships requires greater maturity.