| Tan Sri Zainuddin Maidin |
|
|---|---|
| Malaysian Minister of Information | |
| In office 14 February 2006 – 8 March 2008 |
|
| Preceded by | Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir |
| Succeeded by | Ahmad Shabery Cheek |
| Member of Parliament for Sungai Petani | |
| In office 24 March 2004 – 8 March 2008 |
|
| Succeeded by | Johari Abdul |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 June 1939 Kota Kuala Muda, Kedah |
| Political party | United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) part of Barisan Nasional |
| Spouse(s) | Zaiton Zainol Abidin |
| Children | 4 |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Religion | Islam |
Tan Sri Zainuddin Maidin (born in 29 June 1939), is a Malaysian politician and the former Information Minister in the Malaysian cabinet. He is also the former Chief Editor of Utusan Melayu, the most popular Malay language newspaper in Malaysia. In the 12th General Election of Malaysia, he was defeated of the Sungai Petani parliamentary seat by Datuk Johari Abdul from Parti Keadilan Rakyat.
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Zainuddin was born in Kota Kuala Muda, Kedah, to a Muslim family of mixed Malay and Indian descent.[1] 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 the University of Michigan, USA.
Zainuddin is married to Datin Zaiton Zainol Abidin and is a father to two daughters and two sons.
Zainuddin started his career as a semi-professional journalist of Utusan Melayu in the Alor Star headquarters in 1951, before being appointed as a full-time journalist after 10 years. He once worked as a Representative of Utusan Melayu in London and became the Chief Editor of Utusan Melayu in 1982.
Since 1992, he held various non-editorial positions such as Consultant of the Editorial Department of Utusan Melayu (1992) and Executive Chairman of Utusan Publications and Distributors Sdn. Bhd. (UP&D) (1994).
Later he became a member of the Board of Directors of Kumpulan Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd. and became the Deputy Chairman of the Board in 1998.
He wrote a few books, and among the most notable ones are Yang Pertama dan Terakhir, Malaysia-British Relations in London, Mahathir Di Sebalik Tabir, and Tun Razak: Jejak Bertapak Seorang Patriot.
Zainuddin was appointed as a member of the Dewan Negara in 1998, before being named the Parliamentary Secretary of the Information Ministry in 17 January 2001. He was sworn as a member of the Dewan Negara for a second term in February 2001 and was appointed Deputy Information Minister in 21 November 2002.
Later, he won the Merbok Parliamentary seat in the 2004 Malaysian general elections by beating a Parti Keadilan Rakyat candidate with a 15,162 majority.
In 14 February 2006, he was made the Information Minister by then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, replacing Datuk Paduka Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir.
In 2006, the DAP, which had been a vocal opponent of the Sedition Act and the Internal 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."[2] 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.[3]
In the 12th General Election of Malaysia on 8 March 2008, he contested the Sungai Petani parliamentary seat but was defeated by Datuk Johari Abdul from Parti Keadilan Rakyat.