Announcing his candidacy today, Tajuddin said he did not want to be a yes-man or apple-polisher, and said his complaints to the Supreme Council about the 1MDB scandal had gone unanswered.
The other three in the contest are Umno Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin, Perlis Umno leader Shahidan Kassim and former minister Mahdzir Khalid.
Umno is holding its elections on June 30, the first in almost three years, with contests open for all positions.
Tajuddin said he had brought up many issues to the party leadership that outsiders did not know about, including the 1MDB issue, political donations, and the financial resources that had to be given to the grassroots. “All I’ve brought up, but unfortunately I’m just a small fry”, he said.
He said the Umno leadership must be truly committed and errors of the past must be avoided.
Present at the announcement were divisional leaders of Pasir Salak Umno, which Tajuddin heads. He was re-elected MP for Pasir Salak at the recent general election.