KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, or Panglima (General), as he was widely known, has fallen - leaving a lasting victory as his legacy.
After an intense campaigning amid his pain while on medication for kidney and lung infection, the 66-year-old who managed to retain his Lamag state seat for the second consecutive term following the Nov 29 state election, breathed his last at 1.46am on Friday (Dec 5).
Many state leaders including Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor have arrived at his house in Likas to pay their last respects before the body was taken to the City Mosque for last rites.
He will be laid to rest at the Kg Likas Muslim Cemetery after Friday prayers, accompanied by family and friends, including political allies and rivals.
Prior to this, Bung had always mentioned during speeches and meetings with friends that this would be his last election, not knowing that it now seems like a premonition on his part.
Born in Kampung Bilit, Kinabatangan, on Sept 14, 1959, the native Sungai leader known for his direct-to-the-point manner, which is sometimes seen as rude or crude, had started his political career at the tender age of 19 as the Kinabatangan Usno Division Youth Chief.
When Umno entered Sabah in 1990, he transitioned with them, and served as Kinabatangan Umno Youth Chief and Sabah Umno Youth Information Chief from 1991 before becoming the Kinabatangan Umno division chief until his death.
Bung served as Kinabatangan MP at the age of 40 since 1999, and saw the reigns of six prime ministers during this 26-year tenure with no one being able to unseat him until his demise.
In Parliament and state assemblies, he often catches the attention of viewers because of his strong and sometimes, angry way of debating, using words like ‘I drink blood, don’t test me’, and occasional profanities.
Throughout his political career, he went through highs and lows, with the most prominent one being the 2018 elections, where Barisan lost and he was left basically on his own to fend for the party.
At that time, many of his comrades including the then Sabah Barisan chairman, (now Tun) Musa Aman ditched the party.
Bung Moktar was made the Sabah Barisan chairman and was forced to rebuild what others called a dead party.
However, with tedious work, he gathered loyalists and young leaders to fight on with him, often chanting ‘radu tetap radu’, ‘Ura! Ura! Ura!’ as their war cries and finally rising from the ashes when they won the Kimanis by-election in January 2020.
His influence grew stronger and Barisan’s victorious streak continued on with the Sept 2020 state election when they, together with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah led by Hajiji, toppled the Warisan government.
In 2023, Bung Moktar, a deputy chief minister then, committed a political gambit which proved to be a wrong bet, when he withdrew support for Hajiji in what was unofficially known as the Langkah Kinabalu.
This move did not work because Pakatan Harapan, who was with Parti Warisan at that time, switched allies and threw their support for GRS.
He lost all his Cabinet positions and focused the rest of his energy on fighting against GRS and Hajiji, hoping to reclaim not only his position in government but also his dignity.
In between all these, he was also facing a court trial together with his wife Datin Seri Zizie Izette Abdul Samad.
On May 3, 2019, Bung claimed trial to three charges of accepting bribes amounting to RM2.8mil to obtain approval for Felcra Bhd to invest RM150mil in Public Mutual unit trusts. He was the then Felcra's non-executive chairman.
Towards the end, Bung Moktar rallied hard to try and win back what was lost, and was seen frail during his election campaigns.
He skipped a few meet-ups and cancelled scheduled press conferences, but assured family and friends that "he was fine, just recovering from fever" a few days before polling date.
During those two weeks, he often wore a face mask when meeting people, many noticing that he had heavy eye bags and lost weight.
He is survived by his wives, Datin Seri Nor Asidah Alimuddin and Datin Seri Zizie Izette Abdul Samad, and nine children.
