KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (Pasir Salak-Barisan Nasional) has brushed off claims that he may not contest in the 15th General Election (GE15) after Umno suspended his membership for six years.
He told members of the Dewan Rakyat today that he is still an Umno man and a suspension is not a "death sentence".
"I am still in Umno, it (the suspension) is not a problem. That suspension is not a death sentence, so what's the problem?
"If you want to hang someone, hang until he is dead. If he doesn't die, he might come back to life," he said in jest.
Tajuddin was responding to a question by a member of parliament who had asked if he would still be nominated as a candidate in GE15, since Umno had suspended his membership.
Last week, Umno announced the suspension of Tajuddin and the party's Alor Star division chief Datuk Mohd Yusof Ismail.
In June, Tajuddin was removed from the Umno supreme council after calling party president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi a liability, demanding the latter to resign.
A month later, Tajuddin's name was also dropped as Malaysia's ambassador to Indonesia, although his appointment had been announced a few weeks before.