Zainuddin Maidin | |
|---|---|
| زين الدين بن ميدين | |
| Minister of Information | |
| In office 14 February 2006 – 8 March 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir |
| Succeeded by | Ahmad Shabery Cheek |
| Constituency | Merbok |
| Member of theMalaysian Parliament forMerbok | |
| In office 21 March 2004 – 8 March 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Daim Zainuddin |
| Succeeded by | Rashid Din |
| Majority | 15,445 (2004) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Zainuddin bin Maidin (1939-06-26)26 June 1939 |
| Died | 14 December 2018(2018-12-14) (aged 79) |
| Resting place | Kampung Klang Gate/Taman Melawati Muslim Cemetery,Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia |
| Citizenship | Malaysian |
| Nationality |  Malaysia |
| Party | UMNO ofBarisan Nasional (BN) (until 2018) Independent (2018) Pakatan Harapan (2018) |
| Spouse | Zaiton Zainol Abidin |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | Precinct 10 Putrajaya |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Website | zamkata |
Zainuddin bin Maidin (Jawi:زين الدين بن ميدين; 26 June 1939 – 14 December 2018)[1] was aMalaysian politician and the former Information Minister in theMalaysian cabinet representingUnited Malays National Organisation (UMNO) in theBarisan Nasional (BN) coalition government. He was the member of theParliament of Malaysia for theMerbok constituency for one term, from 24 March 2004 to 8 March 2008. In 2018, he quit UMNO and joinedPakatan Harapan (PH) coalition government. He was also the former Chief Editor ofUtusan Melayu-turned-fierce critic, the oldestMalay language newspaper in Malaysia.
Zainuddin bin Maidin, was born in Kota Kuala Muda,Kedah, to aMuslim family of mixedMalay and Indian descent.[2] He received his early education in Maktab Mahmud,Alor Star.
He later obtained his diploma in journalism from the Berlin Journalism Institute in 1969. In 1981, he was awarded with the Professional Journalist Fellowship from theUniversity of Michigan, US.
Zainuddin is married to Datin Zaiton Zainol Abidin and is a father to two daughters and two sons.
He wrote a few books, and among the most notable ones areYang Pertama dan Terakhir,Malaysia-British Relations in London,Mahathir Di Sebalik Tabir, andTun Razak: Jejak Bertapak Seorang Patriot.
Zainuddin was appointed as a member of theDewan Negara in 1998, before being named the Parliamentary Secretary of the Information Ministry on 17 January 2001. He was sworn as a member of theDewan Negara for a second term in February 2001 and was appointed Deputy Information Minister on 21 November 2002 by Prime MinisterMahathir Mohamad.
Later, he won theMerbok Parliamentary seat in the2004 Malaysian general elections by beating aParti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidate, Saiful Izham Ramli with a 15,445 majority.[3][4]
On 14 February 2006, he was made the Information Minister by then Prime MinisterTun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, replacing Datuk Paduka Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir.
In the2008 Malaysian general elections on 8 March 2008, he contested theSungai Petani parliamentary seat but was defeated byDatuk Johari Abdul from PKR.[3][4]
In 2006, the oppositionDemocratic Action Party (DAP), which had been a vocal opponent of theSedition Act and theInternal Security Act (ISA), filed a police report against UMNO, whose annual general assembly had been noted for its heated rhetoric, with delegates making statements such as "Umno is willing to risk lives and bathe in blood to defend the race and religion. Don't play with fire. If they (non-Malays) messed with our rights, we will mess with theirs."[5] In response, the Information Minister said that this indicated that the Sedition Act continued to remain relevant to Malaysian society. He also denied that the government intentionally used the act to silence dissent or to advance particular political interests.[6]
He gained notoriety in Malaysian politics for demonstrating a poor command of the English language during a telephone interview withAl Jazeera on the firstBersih rally in 2007.[7]
In December 2012 Zainuddin caused a minor diplomatic incident withIndonesia after writing an article highly critical of former PresidentB J Habibie, which was published byUtusan Malaysia. PresidentSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono conveyed his discomfort with the article to Malaysian Prime MinisterNajib Razak.[8]
In August 2013, Zainuddin was forced to apologise afterAirAsia sent a letter of demand in response to a libellous article in his blog, in which he alleged that the prominent low-cost carrier served pork on its flights (pork istaboo food in Muslim-majority Malaysia). AirAsia had called for Zainuddin to post an apology for six months in the said blog, but Zainuddin stated that the apology would be published indefinitely.[9]
In July 2018, Zainuddin who by this time was pro-Pakatan Harapan, leaning towardsDAP andPKR, and fierce critic ofUMNO andUtusan Melayu, urged PH's Minister Mujahid Yusof Rawa to closed down all Tahfiz school in Malaysia, ban Arab culture, Arabic and Jawi calligraphies, scripts and sayings.[10] This caused uproar in Malaysia from UMNO,PAS politicians and all Muslim NGOs.
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | P014Merbok | Zainuddin Maidin (UMNO) | 29,607 | 67.64% | Saiful Izham Ramli (PKR) | 14,162 | 32.36% | 44,981 | 15,445 | 77.66% | ||
| 2008 | P015Sungai Petani | Zainuddin Maidin (UMNO) | 24,441 | 41.95% | Johari Abdul (PKR) | 33,822 | 58.05% | 59,378 | 9,381 | 77.84% | ||
Malaysia_-_SMN.svg)
Companion of theOrder of the Defender of the Realm (JMN) (1990)
Commander of theOrder of Meritorious Service (PJN) –Datuk (1996)[11]
Commander of theOrder of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) –Tan Sri (2009)[11]
Pahang
Member of theOrder of the Crown of Pahang (AMP) (1982)
Kedah.svg)
Member of theOrder of the Crown of Kedah (AMK) (1987).svg)
Knight Commander of theOrder of the Crown of Kedah (DPMK) –Dato' (2006)
Selangor
Companion of theOrder of the Crown of Selangor (SMS) (1990)
Knight Commander of theOrder of the Crown of Selangor (DPMS) –Dato' (2003)[12]
Malacca
Grand Commander of theExalted Order of Malacca (DGSM) –Datuk Seri (2006)Zainuddin died ofcardiac arrest (heart attack) on 14 December 2018 (Friday) at 6.20 pm at theSerdang Hospital at age 79. His remains was brought to his residence at Precinct 10 in Putrajaya before funeral prayers at Surau At Tarbiah in Taman Melawati and then burial at Kampung Klang Gates/Taman Melawati Muslim Cemetery in Hulu Klang, Kuala Lumpur the next morning.[13] His funeral was attended by hundreds of family members, relatives, friends and prominent figures including Prime MinisterMahathir Mohamad.[14]
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