KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 (NNN-BERNAMA) -- Former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been invited by two opposition parties to join them after his shock announcement that he was resigning immediately from the United Malay National Organization (UMNO), the main partner in the ruling National Front coalition.

The invitations to join the Islamic party PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR, or People's Justice Party) were extended to Dr Mahathir, who was prime minister and UMNO president for 22 years from 1981 to 2003, by PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang and PKR President Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is the wife of Anwar Ibrahim, the former deputy prime minister and deputy UMNO president ousted by Mahathir in 1998.

Abdul Hadi said he always welcomed Dr Mahathir or other Umno members to join PAS while
Dr Wan Azizah said PKR's doors were always open for Dr Mahathir if he was interested in joining the party.

Dr Mahathir Monday announced his decision to quit Umno, saying he had lost confidence in Umno President Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and that he would only rejoin the party after Abdullah had stepped down as party president and prime minister.

Abdullah, who was handpicked by mahathir to be his successor as UMNO president and prime minister, recently led the National Front coalition in the March 8 general election which saw the coalition losing its two-thirds majority in Parliament and control of five state governments compared with just one state previously.

Meanwhile, Mahathir's son, Mukhirz Mahathir, who is a member of the executive council of UMNO's youth wing, said Tuesday he would not quit Umno like his father.

Mukhriz, who is a Member of Parliament and who aims to vie for leadership of the influential UMNO Youth in party elections due at the end of the year, said he shared his father's view that Abdullah should step down immediately as Umno president and prime minister "to save Umno".

"I will remain a loyal Umno member and will speak up against the shortcomings of the party leadership," he told reporters here.

Mukhriz said he understood and agreed with the move by his father to quit the party because he had lost confidence in Abdullah's leadership and wanted to save Umno.

Elaborating on his stand to remain in Umno, Mukhriz said he had not discussed the matter with Mahathir but acknowledged that his father was a little disappointed with his (Mukhriz's) decision.

"However, our main objective is the same, which is to save the party," he said. -- NNN-BERNAMA