"I am still loyal to Umno" - Tajuddin

Barisan Nasional’s (BN) defeat in the 15th General Election (GE15) does not mean that the Umno’s leadership is over and dead, especially in the eyes of the Malays.

Former Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman said the public's support will return to the party and it was believed that the party leaders will fight to revive Umno.

Tajuddin who was also former Pasir Salak MP also stressed that the Umno leadership will work on correcting all its mistakes that caused the public, especially its members, to vote for other parties.

Follow the exclusive interview by Sinar Ahad’s reporter Mukhriz Mat Husin with Tajuddin which touched about the rise of Umno and current political issues.

SINAR AHAD: Being dropped as a candidate for Pasir Salak in GE15 after holding the parliamentary seat for three terms, you once described it as “like an arranged marriage”. Why did you not take any action to defend the seat on a different ticket like how Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim (Arau MP) did? Why stay loyal to Umno?

TAJUDDIN: I have been with Umno for a long time. When I was 25 years old, I joined Umno in 1975. From young to old, Umno had done so much for me. From childhood to school, entering university, getting a job, then getting the opportunity to venture into the business world. From there I was able to build a family. Umno is a place where I strived and sustained. I do not want to leave Umno just because there is a problem that I was not nominated (in GE15). I was offered by Pas to join the party when my name did not come up (as a candidate). I was offered to become a candidate for Perikatan Nasional (PN), but I refused. I don't accept it like the others who left Umno to join PN and so on. That is their right. For me, that is not a good choice. Not only for me, but my family. So I declined the offer. If I had accepted it, I am a PN candidate and I could have won.