Tajuddin Abdul Rahman was dropped as an Umno Supreme Council member for his criticism of the party, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today.
Zahid said Tajuddin was aware of what he did to the party that led to his expulsion.
“I am of the view that all Umno Supreme Council members have to adhere to the decisions made by the party during both the Umno General Assembly and annual general meeting.
“We have to toe the party line instead of doing otherwise,” he told reporters today.
He did not elaborate on the criticism and told reporters to ask the Pasir Salak MP himself.
“You have to ask him himself what statements he made, what speeches, what ceramah or what kinds of things he said behind closed doors,” Zahid said.
Zahid’s remarks today confirm a letter addressed to Tajuddin from Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan, which was circulated on social media last night.
The letter informs Tajuddin of his removal from the Umno Supreme Council and thanks him for his service.
Tajuddin was recently appointed ambassador to Indonesia, which was greeted with criticism by members of Umno, MPs, former diplomats and the general public.
However, Ismail Sabri previously defended the decision by saying that Tajuddin is “a seasoned and experienced politician”.
Tajuddin was appointed to the council by the president in July 2018.
The same year, he had tried but failed in party polls to become a vice-president.
The controversial MP has made headlines for the wrong reasons several times in his political career, and was removed in May last year as the non-executive chairman of Prasarana Malaysia Bhd after he joked during a press conference on a light rail transit (LRT) crash.
Often slammed by the opposition and civil society for his uncouth speech and sexist remarks in Parliament, he had also been Umno’s elections director but for a few months, from November 2020 to July 2021, when the portfolio was taken over by Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan.