SHAH ALAM: Former Padang Besar Member of Parliament Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin has died, former Perlis Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim shared in a Facebook post.
In the post, Shahidan expressed sadness over the passing of his friend and extended his condolences to Zahidi's family.
"I am deeply saddened by the news of my friend's passing," he said.
He also prayed that Allah SWT would forgive the deceased's sins, shower his soul with mercy and place him among the faithful and righteous.
When contacted by Sinar Harian, Zahidi's younger brother, Zafruddin Zainul Abidin, confirmed his death, saying he was believed to have passed away at about 5pm on Friday.
"I am not entirely sure what time my late brother passed away, but the information I received from a friend was that he died this evening.
"I do not have much information as I have just returned from China," he said.
Zafruddin added that he had received news that his brother's health had deteriorated since Wednesday.
Born on Jan 9, 1961, Zahidi represented Padang Besar for two terms from 2013 to 2022.
He also served as Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Barisan Nasional (BN) administrations from 2020 to 2022.
Zahidi previously chaired the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (RISDA) from 2015 to 2018.
At the state level, he represented Beseri in the Perlis State Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2008 and served as a state executive council member from 1999 to 2006.
He was a member of Umno and BN from 1991 until 2022 before joining PKR in 2024 under Pakatan Harapan.