Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has once again come to the defence of the DAP in a bid to undo his open admission of decades-long demonisation of the party.

Mahathir, who is now Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) chairperson and an ally of DAP, has had to deflect claims of joining forces with an "anti-Malay" party, the perception which he had engineered while he was prime minister for 22 years until 2003.

"Actually, it was me who demonised the DAP. In politics, if you want to defeat your enemy, you have to sully their image...