BN’s Sabah chief Bung Moktar, 66, dies days after state election

KUALA LUMPUR: Sabah’s former deputy chief minister Bung Moktar Radin, who was also state chairman of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, has died, less than a week after leading the party’s campaign at the Borneo state’s legislative election where he retained his own seat.

In a Facebook post on Friday morning (Dec 5), Bung’s son Naim Kurniawan Moktar announced that his father had died earlier at 1.46am.

Bung, 66, the federal Member of Parliament for Kinabatangan, served as Sabah’s deputy chief minister from September 2020 to January 2023, concurrently holding the state’s works minister portfolio. 

He was admitted to a private hospital for a severe lung infection, local news outlet the Star reported on Friday.

But kidney complications meant his condition took a turn for the worse before he succumbed to the illness, the report said, citing family members.

Bung’s death comes barely six days after he narrowly retained his Lamag seat at the 17th Sabah state election on Nov 29.

BN won only six of the 45 seats it contested.

But the coalition was included in the new state government led by Chief Minister Hajiji Noor, who was sworn in for a second term after his Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition emerged with the largest number of seats. 

Bung Moktar is known for his no-nonsense style of speech, and has been involved in several fiery exchanges in the federal parliament.

At the previous Sabah state election in 2020, Bung Moktar’s BN teamed up with Hajiji, who was then leading the Sabah chapter of the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), to defeat the incumbent coalition led by Warisan’s Shafie Apdal.

This brought UMNO back to state power, with Bung Moktar appointed the state’s deputy chief minister.

But after the 2022 General Election, Bung Moktar had a fallout with Hajiji - who by then had moved to GRS - and pulled BN out of the state government. The move has been described by political observers as a political manoeuvre to topple Hajiji’s government.

Hajiji’s government survived the move, and Bung was removed from the state Cabinet.

Bung Moktar first won the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat in 1999, holding it for six terms.

He was widely credited with saving BN’s Sabah chapter from collapse after the once-dominant coalition fell at the 2018 General Election, amid the 1Malaysia Development Berhad corruption scandal.

After senior Sabah leaders left the coalition, Bung Moktar took over the reins and restructured the Sabah chapter of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the BN lynchpin party, the Star report said.

In the lead up to the Sabah state election, CNA interviewed Bung Moktar at his Kota Kinabalu home in June, where he talked about his party’s plans for Sabah’s youths and its rivalry with GRS.

The UMNO supreme council member said BN would not work with GRS at the election due to their “nightmare history”.

Before Bung Moktar’s death was announced, Hajiji took to Facebook to post a prayer for his political rival, wishing him a “speedy recovery”.

Tributes have poured in on Friday morning from various political figures, including Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to honour the veteran politician. 

"As an old friend, I remember him as a firm, principled and outspoken figure in championing the interests of the people," said Anwar in a Facebook post. 

"His service and commitment in the political arena, especially to the people of Sabah and the nation, will continue to be appreciated and remembered." 

BN chairman and Malaysia Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he was heartbroken to hear the news of Bung Moktar's passing, describing him as a true friend.

"My heart shattered ... I lost a true friend who was so close to my heart, a comrade who always stood by my side and a loyal companion through every moment of good and tough times," he wrote on Facebook. 

Warisan president Shafie Apdal also expressed his condolences to Bung Moktar's family.

"We share a long history, dating back to when he was the Information Chief of UMNO Sabah Youth in 1995 and I was serving as the youth chief then," Shafie posted on his social media.

"There are many memories and experiences we shared throughout our long political journey." 

Salleh Said Keruak, another high-profile Sabah UMNO politician, said Bung Moktar’s death was a “huge loss for the community and state”.

“Allahyarham was a figure who had contributed greatly, specifically in Sabah’s political arena and the development of this state that we love,” he said in a Facebook post on Friday morning, referring to the late Bung Moktar.