Malaysias former premier Mahathir Mohamad said Saturday he will rejoin the ruling party UMNO which he quit last year after falling out with his successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Mahathir, who spent more than two decades in power, hand-picked Abdullah to replace him 2003 but was enraged by the new leaders decision to dismantle several of his pet projects.
Mahathir publicly campaigned for his ouster after disastrous elections a year ago. Abdullah eventually agreed to stand down and is expected to hand power to his deputy Najib Razak in the next few days. "I will rejoin UMNO. When - I will tell you later," Mahathir told reporters during a surprise visit to the closing session of the partys five-day annual congress.
The veteran politician had snubbed the meeting this week, after his son Mukhriz Mahathir failed in his bid to become youth wing chief - an influential post won instead by Abdullahs son-in-law. Mahathir Saturday endorsed a landmark speech by Najib in which he outlined radical reforms to UMNO after the humiliating elections, when the opposition claimed five of the 13 states and a third of seats in parliament.