Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has accepted the invitation to attend the March 27 gathering against Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim is the organiser of the 'closed-door gathering' and reportedly said Mahathir was 'at the top' of the guest list.

"If they want me to speak, I will speak," he told reporters today after attending an event at KLCC in Kuala Lumpur.

Mahathir said he was attending the gathering as there were no other options left for him.

He pointed out that other avenues to voice out against the government have been blocked and this now forced him to attend rallies, a move which he was opposed to during his tenure as PM.

"Things have changed. Before, you had other forums to voice your opposition to the government. Now there are no more forums and even rallies are not allowed.

"Now they are stopping people from meeting even inside a building. Before, it was allowed. But now you cannot. In other words, the people cannot talk at all. Only listen to the government," he said.

Zaid has clarified that the gathering will be a closed-door meeting as opposed to a street protest or public rally.

'It's now Najib's party'

In publicly calling for Najib's resignation since last April, Mahathir, who was against street demonstrations when he was in power, even attended the Bersih 4 rally last year.

Commenting on calls to suspend Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin for undermining the party chief, Mahathir reiterated that the party leader has strayed from Umno's struggle.

"It is no longer Umno. It is Najib's party. It belongs to him. It has nothing to do with the principles that Umno has fought for all these years," Mahathir lamented.

Umno supreme council member and Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Aziz has said he will propose at today's Umno supreme council meeting a motion to suspend Muhyiddin.

Last month, Mahathir's son Mukhriz was ousted as Kedah menteri besar in what was seen as a move orchestrated by party president loyalists.