Tun Mahathir's new party will only weaken the opposition - Rahman Dahlan

Barisan Nasional (BN) strategic communications director, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan welcomes the formation of a new political party and coalition by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

In his Facebook posting on Thursday, Datuk Abdul Rahman said the new coalition will only weaken the opposition further and strengthen the chances of BN to win big in the next general election.

"For some reason most people are not really surprised of the announcement of a new political coalition made by Tun Mahathir Mohamad this evening.

"Maybe because he has been attacking BN for many years now. Or maybe because the faces we saw today at Tun's press conference in Putrajaya are largely made of those who are widely known to have personal tiff with the current leadership," he said.

Describing it as a healthy democratic process, Datuk Abdul Rahman said BN is any eventualities will continue to rigorously fight for its principals and its struggle.

"We will defend our track record. We have gone through worse and more formidable challenges before and, alhamdulillah, we managed to overcome each and every one of them," he said.

He said 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 Prime Minister.

"What they have is a "dangerous liaison" based on their acute frustration and failure to capture the imagination of the rakyat. BN intends to check mate them every step of the way," he said.

However, Datuk Abdul Rahman admitted that there is no fun nor pleasure gained in fighting a nonagenarian who should have been spent his golden years as a statesman.

"But since the gloves are off, BN will face anyone, anytime, anywhere for the future of this beloved country," he stressed.

Earlier, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced that he is partnering with Opposition leaders to form a new coalition.

The new coalition will feature DAP, PKR, Parti Amanah Negara, and a soon-to-be formed political party, he said.

Tun Dr Mahathir said the new coalition will operate as a single entity against Barisan Nasional.

Although the coalition has not decided on a name, he said it will start working towards winning the 14th general election.