He said Jakarta had been hoping for Malaysia to put forward the name of a new ambassador as soon as possible.

“What I heard is (that the new envoy is) a career diplomat,” he said, when asked on BFM’s Breakfast Grille programme as to who the new candidate could be.

Tajuddin was part of Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s entourage to Indonesia for a three-day official visit last November, leading to speculation that he would be appointed as the Malaysian ambassador to Indonesia.

The post has remained vacant since the last envoy, Zainal Abidin Bakar, retired on April 4, 2021.

Previously, it was reported that Tajuddin would almost certainly be made Malaysia’s ambassador to Indonesia. However, on July 11, government sources told FMT that Tajuddin had been dropped from considerations.

The sources said the government had “changed its mind” with regard to Tajuddin’s appointment following criticism by MPs, former diplomats, politicians and civil societies. Tajuddin reportedly described some of the criticisms regarding his appointment as unfair.

There were calls for the former Umno Supreme Council member’s appointment to be scrapped, especially after Tajuddin’s tell-all press conference in June where he called for Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to step down as his party’s president.

In May 2021, the controversial MP was removed from his post as Prasarana Malaysia Bhd chairman just days after his much-criticised press conference over a collision involving two LRT trains.