| Honorific-Prefix: | Yang Berbahagia Datuk |
| Zahidi Zainul Abidin | |
| Native Name: | Malay: {{Script|Arab|زاهدي زين العابدين |
| Birth Name: | Zahidi bin Zainul Abidin |
| Birth Place: | 9 January 1961 |
| Office: | Deputy Minister of Communications and Multimedia |
| Term Start: | 30 August 2021 |
| Term End: | 24 November 2022 |
| Primeminister: | Ismail Sabri Yaakob |
| Minister: | Annuar Musa |
| Predecessor: | Himself |
| Successor: | Teo Nie Ching |
| Constituency: | Padang Besar |
| Monarch1: | Abdullah |
| Term Start1: | 10 March 2020 |
| Term End1: | 16 August 2021 |
| Primeminister1: | Muhyiddin Yassin |
| Minister1: | Saifuddin Abdullah |
| Predecessor1: | Eddin Syazlee Shith |
| Successor1: | Himself |
| Constituency1: | Padang Besar |
| Term Start2: | 1 September 2015 |
| Term End2: | 27 December 2018 |
| 1Blankname2: | Director General |
| 1Namedata2: | Mohd Najib A. Samad Wan Ahmad Shabri Zainuddin Wan Mohamad |
| Predecessor2: | Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik |
| Minister2: | Ismail Sabri Yaakob Rina Harun |
| Constituency Mp3: | Padang Besar |
| Parliament3: | Malaysian |
| Term Start3: | 5 May 2013 |
| Term End3: | 19 November 2022 |
| Predecessor3: | Azmi Khalid (BN–UMNO) |
| Successor3: | Rushdan Rusmi (PN–PAS) |
| Majority3: | 7,426 (2013) 1,438 (2018) |
| Constituency Am4: | Beseri |
| Assembly4: | Perlis State Legislative |
| Term Start4: | 29 November 1999 |
| Term End4: | 8 March 2008 |
| Predecessor4: | Nordin Abdullah (BN–UMNO) |
| Successor4: | Mat Rawi Kassim (BN–UMNO) |
| Majority4: | 819 (1999) 1,871 (2004) |
| Office5: | Exco roles (Perlis) |
| Subterm5: | 1999–2003 |
| Suboffice5: | Deputy Chairman of the Education |
| Subterm6: | 2003–2006 |
| Suboffice6: | Chairman of the Investment, Trade, Science, Technology, Consumerism and Agro-based Industry |
| Office11: | Faction represented in Dewan Rakyat |
| Subterm11: | 2013–2022 |
| Suboffice11: | Barisan Nasional |
| Office12: | Faction represented in Perlis State Legislative Assembly |
| Subterm12: | 1999–2008 |
| Suboffice12: | Barisan Nasional |
| Citizenship: | Malaysian |
| Party: | United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) Independent National Trust Party (AMANAH) |
| Otherparty: | Barisan Nasional (BN) Muafakat Nasional Pakatan Harapan (PH) |
| Occupation: | Politician |
| Footnotes: | |
Datuk Zahidi bin Zainul Abidin (Jawi: زاهدي بن زين العابدين; born 9 January 1961) is a Malaysian politician who served as the Deputy Minister of Communications and Multimedia for the second term in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration under former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and former Minister Annuar Musa from August 2021 to the collapse of the BN administration in November 2022 and the first term in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration under former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and former Minister Saifuddin Abdullah from March 2020 to the collapse of the PN administration in August 2021, Chairman of the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (RISDA) from September 2015 to December 2018, Member of the Perlis State Executive Council (EXCO) in the BN state administration under former Menteri Besar Shahidan Kassim from 1999 to 2006, Member of Parliament (MP) for Padang Besar from May 2013 to November 2022 and Member of the Perlis State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Beseri from November 1999 to March 2008. He is a member of the National Trust Party (AMANAH), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition and was a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a component party of the BN coalition. He is also the Chairman of the Malaysian International Institute of Islamic Cooperation (IKIAM).[1]
Zahidi received his Diploma in Public Administration from Institut Teknologi MARA (Universiti Teknologi MARA).[2] Zahidi joined AMANAH by submitting his membership application form to the party on 4 February 2023 although he had revealed on 30 January 2023 that he planned to join the People's Justice Party (PKR), another PH component party.[3]
Zahidi has held various positions in politics and UMNO:
| Year | Designation | |
|---|---|---|
| 1991–1993 | Islamic Education Chief for UMNO Youth Malaysia | |
| 1993 | Deputy Chief of UMNO Youth Kangar Division | |
| 1998 | Members of The Training and Student Council UMNO Youth Malaysia. | |
| 1998 | International UMNO Youth Council Member | |
| 1998 | UMNO International Bureau | |
| 1991–1998 | UMNO Malaysia Youth Education Bureau | |
| 1994–1998 | Perlis Deputy UMNO Youth Chief | |
| 1994–2001 | UMNO Padang Besar Youth Chief | |
| 1998–2001 | UMNO Perlis Youth Chief | |
| 2001–2004 | UMNO Malaysia Youth Exco | |
| 2008–2022 | UMNO Padang Besar Divisional Chief | |
| 2020–2022 | Deputy Minister of Communications and Multimedia |
In September 2020, Zahidi caused a nationwide outrage when he falsely accused a Sabahan foundation student named Veveonah Mosibin from Universiti Malaysia Sabah of trying to popularise her YouTube channel when she posted a video of her in a hut on top of a tree struggling to take an exam. Veveonah at the time had to stay home due to Malaysia's Movement Control Order (MCO) to stop the COVID-19 outbreak in the country and had to go on top of tree to get signal for internet connection.[4] Zahidi was later made to apologise for his inaccurate remark in Dewan Negara and informed that it was Abdul Rahim Bakri of Kudat MP who told him that Veveonah did not have exams on the day she uploaded the video, of which, later clarified otherwise by the university's chairman, Masidi Manjun.[5] [6] [7]
The aftermath of the incident had brought Zahidi's academic credentials under spotlight for purportedly dubious academic qualification while Veveonah's hometown district got 13 new telecommunication towers expeditiously installed with 4G connection under the JENDELA program.[8] [9]
In January 2021, Zahidi was tested positive for COVID-19 and sent to Sungai Buloh Hospital for treatment.[10] He was discharged after 11 days.[11]
| Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | N02 Beseri | (UMNO) | 2,774 | 58.66% | Abd. Rahman Rejab (PAS) | 1,955 | 41.34% | 5,069 | 819 | 73.77% | ||||
| 2004 | Zahidi Zainul Abidin (UMNO) | 3,492 | 68.30% | Mohd Anuar Mohd Tahir (PAS) | 1,621 | 31.70% | 5,222 | 1,871 | 78.59% | |||||
| 2022 | N01 Titi Tinggi | Zahidi Zainul Abidin (IND) | 425 | 4.43% | bgcolor= | Izizam Ibrahim (BERSATU) | 5,601 | 58.42% | 9,748 | 3,785 | 72.70% | |||
| Teh Chai Aan (MCA) | 1,816 | 18.94% | ||||||||||||
| Teh Seng Chuan (DAP) | 1,512 | 15.77% | ||||||||||||
| bgcolor= | Mohd Shahril Md Sarif (PEJUANG) | 152 | 1.59% | |||||||||||
| Khaw Hock Kong (WARISAN) | 81 | 0.84% |
| Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | P001 Padang Besar, Perlis | (UMNO) | 21,473 | 60.45% | Azamhari Mohamood (PAS) | 14,047 | 39.55% | 36,142 | 7,426 | 86.11% | ||||
| 2018 | Zahidi Zainul Abidin (UMNO) | 15,032 | 41.18% | Izizam Ibrahim (BERSATU) | 13,594 | 37.24% | 37,432 | 1,438 | 81.20% | |||||
| Mokhtar Senik (PAS) | 7,874 | 21.57% | ||||||||||||
| 2022 | Zahidi Zainul Abidin (IND) | 1,939 | 1.56% | bgcolor= | Rushdan Rusmi (PAS) | 24,267 | 53.58% | 45,288 | 12,514 | 75.24% | ||||
| Zahida Zarik Khan (UMNO) | 11,753 | 25.95% | ||||||||||||
| Mohd Saat @ Yahya (AMANAH) | 7,085 | 15.64% | ||||||||||||
| Ko Chu Liang (WARISAN) | 244 | 0.54% | ||||||||||||