KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on Saturday that there is an Umno leader who is trying to get a statutory declaration (SD) from both sides of the political divide in a bid to topple the government.

"The person is an Umno and Barisan Nasional leader who was recently released, and is now working with 87 opposition parliamentarians to work against the government,'' The Star newspaper quoted Dr Zahid as saying.

"I am not going to mention names but it will be exposed and as Home Minister, I am not going to let it be," he said at the Ampang division meeting here.

Dr Zahid said he had received information that there were lawyers preparing to present a seven-page yellow-paper memorandum with the SD to prove they had the support of the majority, according to The Star.

"They cannot wait until the next general election and they are trying to use the back door.

"I am not going to let this be," he added.

The Star newspaper on Saturday also quoted veteran Umno leader and former finance minister Razaleigh Hamzah as denying involvement in any alleged plot to topple the government.

He told reporters that he was still a backbencher but said MPs must do and say the right things.

Meantime, the Malaysian Insider quoted Razaleigh, also known as Ku Li, as confirming that he met with former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad recently, amid rumours that the two were planning to remove Prime Minister Najib Razak and form a unity government.

"I recently met Dr Mahathir, he invited me. I meet everyone," Razaleigh told reporters at a Hari Raya open house in Bukit Jalil.

But he refused to divulge details of the meeting, saying it was personal, according to Malaysian Insider.

"I don't want to interfere too much. We want everything to be calm, the situation to be good, and to avoid any confusion among the pulic while the economy is having problems.

"We shouldn't add any more problems to the people," the news portal quoted him as saying.