Dato' Zainal Abidin Ahmad (10 October 1939 – 25 March 2010
) was a Malaysian politician. He was the Member of the
Parliament of Malaysia
The Parliament of Malaysia ( ms, Parlimen Malaysia) is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives, Literal translation, lit. "People's A ...
for the
Hulu Selangor
Hulu Selangor is a district in Selangor, Malaysia. It contains the towns of Serendah, Batang Kali and Kuala Kubu Bharu. Its principal town is Kuala Kubu Bharu. The district is located in the northeastern part of Selangor and borders the state ...
constituency in
Selangor
Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...
until his death in 2010. He was a member of the
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
The People's Justice Party ( ms, Parti Keadilan Rakyat , often known simply as KEADILAN or PKR) is a reformist political party in Malaysia, formed in 2003 by a merger of the National Justice Party and the older Malaysian People's Party. The ...
(PKR) party in the
Pakatan Rakyat
The People's Alliance ( ms, Pakatan Rakyat; abbrev: PR) was an informal Malaysian political coalition and successor to Barisan Alternatif (BA). The political coalition was formed by the People's Justice Party (PKR), Democratic Action Party (DAP ...
opposition coalition.
Zainal Abidin was a member of the State Assembly of Selangor from 1990 for the
UMNO
The United Malays National Organisation (Malay: ; Jawi: ; abbreviated UMNO () or less commonly PEKEMBAR), is a nationalist right-wing political party in Malaysia. As the oldest continuous national political party within Malaysia (since its in ...
party before being omitted from the ticket of the governing
Barisan Nasional
The National Front ( ms, Barisan Nasional; abbrev: BN) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1973 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties. It is also the third largest political coalition with 30 se ...
coalition for the
2004 election. From 1995 to 1999, he served as Deputy
Menteri Besar
In Malaysia, the Menteri Besar ( Jawi:منتري بسر; literally ''First Minister''), colloquially referred to as MB, is the head of government of each of nine states in Malaysia with hereditary rulers. For four states without a monarch, the t ...
(Chief Minister) and on the Selangor Executive Council.
Zainal Abidin switched to the opposition
Keadilan
The People's Justice Party ( ms, Parti Keadilan Rakyat , often known simply as KEADILAN or PKR) is a reformist political party in Malaysia, formed in 2003 by a merger of the National Justice Party and the older Malaysian People's Party. The ...
party in 2005. In the
2008 election, Zainal won the federal seat of Hulu Selangor, unseating the incumbent
Barisan Nasional
The National Front ( ms, Barisan Nasional; abbrev: BN) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1973 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties. It is also the third largest political coalition with 30 se ...
member by a narrow margin of 198 votes.
Zainal Abidin died on 25 March 2010 from
brain cancer
A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondar ...
, triggering a by-election in Hulu Selangor which was won by YB
P. Kamalanathan of (
MIC) – (
BN).
Election results
Honours
* :
**
Knight Commander of the
Order of the Crown of Selangor
The Most Illustrious Order of the Crown of Selangor (Bahasa Melayu: ''Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Selangor Yang Amat Mulia'') is an order awarded by Sultan of Selangor as a reward for general services to the sultan and state of Selangor. It was foun ...
(DPMS) – Dato' (1993)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zainal Abidin Ahmad
1939 births
2010 deaths
People from Selangor
Deaths from brain cancer in Malaysia
Malaysian people of Malay descent
Malaysian Muslims
Members of the Dewan Rakyat
Members of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly
Selangor state executive councillors
Former United Malays National Organisation politicians
People's Justice Party (Malaysia) politicians
Knights Commander of the Order of the Crown of Selangor