Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad said it was Umno's right, and not his, to reject Anwar Ibrahim's return to the party.

Met by reporters at the sidelines of the 55th Umno general assembly today, he was asked to comment on the stand reached by the party's Pemuda, Wanita and Puteri wings on this issue.

"It is Umno's decision, it is the right of Umno to make the decision. It is not my right...," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

Being a member of Umno, the former party president said he has to abide by the decision.

"That is their (Wanita, Pemuda and Puteri) feeling. Even when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah stated in his speech in not wanting people creating problems for the party... it reflected the same view," he added.

Immoral character

Mahathir, who sacked Anwar as deputy prime minister in 1998, reiterated that the latter was freed of his sodomy conviction based on a technicality and that the judges had agreed on the charges.

"My decision (at that time) was based on his immoral character. Any minister who is immoral must be thrown out of the cabinet. I am quite sure Pak Lah would do the same," he said.

Mahathir, who was smiling as he made his way from the hall to the exit, said Umno members must not betray the party.

Even if they are expelled for doing something wrong, they should not do things against the party, he added.

"I was thrown out of the party before. I came back because I didn't do any harm to the party," he said .

Anwar, who was freed on Sept 2 after six years in prison for an earlier corruption conviction, claims that the charges were fabricated by Mahathir.

This has been denied by the authorities and by the former premier.

The respective heads of the Pemuda, Wanita and Puteri wings in their speeches yesterday said that the doors to the party was closed permanently for Anwar, whom they labeled as a party traitor .