Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has predicted that Umno - a party he led for 22 years - will collapse.

“Umno is fragmented now, it is going to collapse. There is no future for Umno anymore because the people detest Umno.  

"That is why they supported the opposition so strongly (in the recent general election),” said Mahathir, who now leads the Pakatan Harapan coalition, according to The Star Online.

He said this in response to a question during a meeting with the US Council on Foreign Relations in New York, at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

To a question on corruption in Umno, Mahathir said: “He (former Umno president Najib Abdul Razak) has undermined the leadership of the party and even the rank and file because he gave them money.  

“So they supported him because some of them felt comfortable with more money.”

Mahathir’s remarks on Umno comes amidst intensifying attempts by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to forge fresh political alliances.

Zahid had admitted that he led an Umno delegation to see Mahathir recently to express how Umno no longer wanted to be part of the opposition.

Zahid had also stated that Umno’s goal now was to be part of a “unity government”.

After Zahid was elected as Umno president, the party was rocked by a string of defections, whittling down their number of MPs to 49.