KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 — Umno’s Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan welcomed today the formation of a new political party by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that would ally with Pakatan Harapan, saying it would only weaken the opposition further.

Abdul Rahman, who is also Barisan Nasional (BN) strategic communications director, said the new political coalition merely had a "dangerous liaison” based on their "acute frustration and failure” to capture Malaysians’ imaginations.

"In fact, we believe the new coalition will only weaken the opposition further and strengthen the chances of BN to win big in the next general election,” Abdul Rahman said in a statement.

"BN will reach out to the public and tell them not to place their trust in a rickety coalition, driven by a man whose singular objective is to topple the current PM, by hook or by crook. The coalition partners have no common agenda for Malaysia,” he added.

Dr Mahathir, 91, announced earlier today that he would be a founding member of a new political party that would be part of the Save Malaysia movement that had been calling for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s resignation.

The elder statesman also said the individuals from PKR, DAP and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) who are part of the Save Malaysia movement have agreed to coordinating straight fights against BN in the next general elections.