Zainuddin bin Maidin, was born in Kota Kuala Muda, Kedah, to a Muslim family of mixed Malay and Indian descent.

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.

Later, he won the Merbok Parliamentary seat in the 2004 Malaysian general elections by beating a Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidate, Saiful Izham Ramli with a 15,445 majority.

In the 2008 Malaysian general elections on 8 March 2008, he contested the Sungai Petani parliamentary seat but was defeated by Datuk Johari Abdul from PKR.

[6] He gained notoriety in Malaysian politics for demonstrating a poor command of the English language during a telephone interview with Al Jazeera on the first Bersih rally in 2007.

[7] In December 2012 Zainuddin caused a minor diplomatic incident with Indonesia after writing an article highly critical of former President B J Habibie, which was published by Utusan Malaysia.