The plan to appoint Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman as a diplomat is to reward his strong backing for Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who emerged victorious in the prime ministerial race after Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin was ousted from the top job.

An Umno source who is close to Tajuddin (above) told Malaysiakini that another key figure who also backed Ismail Sabri was Nazri Abdul Aziz, who is also tipped for an ambassador position.

“The appointment of the two leaders is to...