With just one more left to 16 Sept where Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim says there will be enough lawmakers from the ruling party crossing over to the opposition coalition to make him prime minister, there's a sudden last minute efforts to bring back former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad into Umno, the dominant partner of the ruling Barisan Nasional.

Umno VP Muhyiddin Yassin said Monday (15 Sept) the former PM be given the freedom to choose which Umno branch or division he prefers to join to pave the way for his return to the party.

"It's up to him... who knows he may want to return to his old branch (in Kubang Pasu division in Kedah). I've also offered Pagoh if it's too difficult for him to choose. When I made the offer, he just smiled.

"But I wouldn't want party members in Kedah to feel unease because he is a prominent statesman from the state. So it's better that we let him choose the branch or division," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur after launching the Women Entrepreneurs Award 2008 Monday.

Muhyiddin, who is Pagoh Umno division chief, revealed recently that Dr Mahathir, who left Umno in May, had expressed his wish to rejoin the party.

Following the announcement, several Umno branches and divisions had offered places for Dr Mahathir.

Asked on talks that the former Umno president would hand over his membership application form this Wednesday (17 Sept), Muhyiddin said he was not informed of the matter.

In Kangar, Perlis Umno liaison chief Shahidan Kassim has ewven goone on to suggest that Dr Mahathir need not fill any form to rejoin the party, thus highlighting the urgency of the situation.

All he needed was to write a letter stating his intention, he said, adding that he was confident that the party's supreme council would accept him.

"No one should question the Tun's intention to return the party. He has sacrificed a lot for the country," Shahidan said.

Meanwhile, Pakatan Rakyat is organising a gathering tonight at the Kelana Jaya stadium as a run-up to what it says is Malaysia Day celebrations Tuesday (16 Sept).

Although 16 Sept is Malaysia, the country has always celebrated it on 31 August, which is the independence day for the then Federation of Malaya. So is 16 Sept Malaysia Day or Anwar's D-Day? Tuesday is not a Fedral public holiday, so if you have reasons to celebrate 16 Sept, you need to apply for leave. (By BOB TEOH/ MySinchew)