KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Barisan Nasional chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin has dismissed claims that the state coalition had failed as part of the state government, challenging those who made the allegations to a debate.
"Don't awaken the sleeping tiger," he said in a video on Wednesday (Nov 25).
This comes in the heat of campaigning for the Sabah Election, with polling set to take place on Saturday (Nov 29).
He said during his capacity as Sabah's deputy chief minister, he lacked any authority unlike the state chief minister and finance minister.
Bung Moktar also hit back at Gabungan Rakyat Sabah's (GRS) deputy secretary-general Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali's claims of his "failure" when he was the state works minister.
"If you want to play politics with me, do it maturely. You can say such things to others but not me.
"I challenge you to a debate – be it in Parliament, the state assembly or even on the five-foot way," he said in the video.
Armizan had claimed that Bung Moktar caused GRS to lose two years in administering Sabah in efforts to uplift the state, citing a lack of development particularly on water and electricity issues.
Sabah Barisan was previously part of the Sabah administration following the 2020 state polls.
However, after a failed move to oust Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor as chief minister in 2023 (dubbed the Kinabalu Move), Bung Moktar was booted out the state government.
Five Barisan assemblymen had publicly declared support for Hajiji, with Pakatan Harapan assemblymen also backing the state government.
The five Barisan assemblyman were Datuk Shahelmey Yahya (Tanjung Keramat), Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob (Sindumin), Datuk Jasnih Daya (Pantai Dalit), Datuk Arshad Bistari (Tempasuk) and Datuk James Ratib (Sugut).
