A CAREER diplomat will soon be named as Malaysia’s new envoy to Indonesia, the country’s ambassador Hermono said.

The revelation puts an end to speculation of Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman being appointed to the post.

In an interview with BFM’s The Breakfast Grille programme this morning, Hermono said Jakarta had been hoping for Malaysia to put forward a new name as the ambassador.

“What I heard is (that the new envoy is) a career diplomat,” he said during the programme.

“I already convinced Jakarta that Malaysia is not trying to send a negative message (by delaying sending over an ambassador). Malaysia is (actually) appointing a new ambassador,” he added. 

Hermono also said that Jakarta had never interfered in the appointment of the envoy.

Previously Tajuddin, a seasoned parliamentarian, was tipped to replace Zainal Abidin Bakar, who retired on April 4, 2021.

The Umno lawmaker was also part of Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s entourage to Indonesia for a three-day official visit last November.

Ismail had also confirmed Tajuddin’s appointment, saying the matter was approved by President Joko Widodo.

This led to rumours that he would be appointed as the Malaysian ambassador to Indonesia.

However, in July, government sources told a news portal that Tajuddin had been dropped.

The 74-year-old politician was previously fired as head of the government’s public transport operator Prasarana Malaysia Bhd after making insensitive remarks in the aftermath of an LRT collision that injured hundreds of passengers. 

He was also fined for breaching Covid-19 rules when he appeared wearing a face shield without a mask during a press conference following the crash.

About a month later, Tajuddin was fined again for breaching Covid-19 protocol by not wearing a mask in parliament.

In May last year, he was arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to assist in a probe into allegations of power abuse in giving a friend a job in Prasarana. – September 29, 2022.