It's confirmed that former Umno president Dr Mahathir Mohamad will be attending the party's general assembly which begins next Wednesday.

Party secretary general Radzi Sheikh Ahmad today confirmed the former premier's attendance.

According to the Star 's Malay online edition , Radzi said that Mahathir will be given a front row seat to observe the proceedings. He said that Mahathir be seated along the other invited dignitaries.

Previously Mahathir had failed in his attempt to attend the meeting as a delegate after the Kubang Pasu division - which he led for 30 years before retiring in 2003 - failed to elect him as one of their representatives.

As a delegate, Mahathir would have had the opportunity to speak in the meeting. He had wanted to use the forum to raise the issues of his hand-picked successor's leadership qualities.

Mahathir is a vocal critic of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, often accusing the premier of economic mismanagement, corruption and nepotism.

Having failed in his attempt to attend the meeting as a delegate, it was widely speculated that Mahathir will not attend the assembly altogether.

The party however officially gave him an invitation to attend the annual assembly.

Mahathir's challenge

Earlier this week, Umno Information Chief Muhammad Mohd Taib said that Mahathir was free to attend the assembly, but warned the veteran leader not to disrupt the proceedings.

He said that the delegates might not take it too kindly if Mahathir continued his attacks on Abdullah at the assembly.

In the past week, various Umno leaders have asked the party's leadership to sack Mahathir from the party for his continuous attacks on Abdullah. They had also wanted the party to seek his removal as advisor to various government-linked agencies.

Last week, the party's Supreme Council decided not to take any action against Mahathir, but Abdullah said that the party will continue to monitor his predecessor's actions.

Meanwhile, Chinese daily Sin Chew reported in its online edition this evening that Mahathir too had confirmed attending the assembly.

The report said that Mahathir, on a short visit to New Zealand, also challenged his critics to sack him from the party for his outbursts.

"I will be attending; I have been invited," he said.

He said he was unfazed by calls that he should be expelled from Umno because of the damage he was doing with his criticism.

"They have the right to expel me if they want to, but I am staying. It is a party I founded partly," he said.