Dr Mahathir, who spent more than two decades in power,
hand-picked Mr Abdullah to replace him 2003 but was enraged by the
new leader's decision to dismantle several of his pet projects.
Dr Mahathir publicly campaigned for his ouster after disastrous
elections a year ago. Mr 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,' Dr Mahathir
told reporters during a surprise visit to the closing session of
the party's 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 Mr Abdullah's
son-in-law.
Dr Mahathir on Saturday endorsed a landmark speech by Mr 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.
Dr Mahathir also backed the election of Trade Minister Muhyiddin
Yassin, an ally who will now be Mr Najib's deputy.
'Muhyiddin gives me the confidence that there will be changes,'
he said.
Dr Mahathir quit Umno last May and urged other members to follow
suit to force Mr Abdullah to resign over the March 2008 elections,
which produced the worst results in the party's history.
Umno lawmakers rallied around Mr Abdullah, alleviating fears of
an exodus that could have unseated the government, but the
premier's days were numbered and in October he eventually agreed to
stand down. -- AFP
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