| minister2 = [[Najib Razak]]
| minister2 = [[Najib Razak]]
| 1blankname2 = Chief Executive Officer
| 1blankname2 = Chief Executive Officer
| 1namedata2 = [[Zulkarnain Md Eusope]]
| 1namedata2 = Zulkarnain Md Eusope
| office3 = Deputy Chairman of the <br> [[Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club]]
| office3 = Deputy Chairman of the <br> [[Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club]]
| term_start3 = 18 April 2008
| term_start3 = 18 April 2008
Malaysian politician (1958–2025)
|
Bung Moktar Radin |
|
|---|---|
.jpg) Bung Moktar in 2025 |
|
| In office 29 September 2020 – 11 January 2023 |
|
| Governor | Juhar Mahiruddin |
| Chief Minister | Hajiji Noor |
| Preceded by | Wilfred Madius Tangau |
| Succeeded by | Jeffrey Kitingan |
| Constituency | Lamag |
| In office 29 September 2020 – 11 January 2023 |
|
| Governor | Juhar Mahiruddin |
| Chief Minister | Hajiji Noor |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Shahelmey Yahya |
| Constituency | Lamag |
| In office 17 July 2013 – 31 May 2018 |
|
| Minister | Najib Razak |
| Chief Executive Officer | Zulkarnain Md Eusope |
| In office 18 April 2008 – 26 July 2018 |
|
| Chairman | Tiong King Sing (2008–2013) Shahrir Abdul Samad (2013–2018) |
| Preceded by | Raja Ahmad Zainuddin Raja Omar |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| In office 18 August 2020 – 5 December 2025 |
|
| National Chairman | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi |
| Preceded by | Musa Aman |
| Succeeded by | TBA |
| In office 12 December 2018 – 5 December 2025 |
|
| President | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi |
| Deputy | Yakub Khan |
| Preceded by | Musa Aman |
| Succeeded by | TBA |
| In office 29 November 1999 – 5 December 2025 |
|
| Preceded by | Juhar Mahiruddin (BN–UMNO) |
| Succeeded by | TBD |
| Majority | |
| In office 26 September 2020 – 5 December 2025 |
|
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | TBD |
| Majority | |
| 1999–2025 | Barisan Nasional |
| 2020–2025 | Barisan Nasional |
| Born | Bung Moktar bin Radin (1958-09-13)13 September 1958 Kampung Bilit, Sukau, Kinabatangan, Sandakan Division, Crown Colony of North Borneo
|
| Died | 5 December 2025(2025-12-05) (aged 67) |
| Citizenship | Malaysia |
| Party | |
| Other political affiliations |
BN (from 1990) |
| Spouses | |
| Occupation | Politician |
Bung Moktar bin Radin (13 September 1958 – 5 December 2025) was a Malaysian politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Kinabatangan from 1999 until his death in December 2025. A member of Sabah UMNO, he was the Deputy Chief Minister I of Sabah from 2020 to 2023, and represented Lamag in Sabah State Legislative Assembly from 2020 until his death.
Born in Kinabatangan, Sabah, Bung graduated from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and later worked as civil servant before joining politics. An influential figure in Sabah politics, he was the chairman of Barisan Nasional and the United Malays National Organisation in Sabah from 2018 to 2025, and the deputy chairman of the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club (BNBBC) from 2008 to 2018.
Early life, education and career
[edit]
Bung Moktar was born in Sukau, Kinabatangan. He attended Kampung Bilit National Primary School, Sandakan National Secondary School, and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. He held a Master of Philosophy in Policy Analysis and Security from the latter insitution.[1]
Before becoming a member of parliament, he served with the Sandakan Special Affairs Department (JASA) branch office (1987–1990) as an administrative and diplomatic officer, officer for the Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) (1990–1992)[2] and Political Secretary to the Sabah Minister of Finance (1994–1999).[3]
Bung Moktar was initially a member of the United Sabah National Organisation (USNO), serving as the youth chief of its Kinabatangan division from 1979 to 1990. He retained this role when the party became the Sabahan branch of the peninsular-based United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), and later became Sabah UMNO’s youth information chief. In 1996, he became the division chief of Kinabatangan.[4]
He first stood as a candidate in the 1994 Sabah state election for Kuamut, an opposition stronghold at that time, and lost. He stood in the 1999 general election and became the member of parliament for Kinabatangan. He retained the seat in the 2004, 2008, 2013, 2018, and 2022 general elections.
Over the course of his political career, Bung Moktar earned a reputation for controversy.[5] His gaffes have been popularly referred to as “bung-le”s.[6][7]
In 2008, he referred to opposition politician Karpal Singh as a “big monkey” after Singh referred to him as “Bigfoot” in response to Bung Moktar interrupting him.[8] He also called on Karpal, who was a paraplegic, to “Stand up if (he) dare!”.[7]
In 2007, while debating the leak in the ceiling of the parliament building, he and fellow member of parliament Mohammad Said Yusof sexually degraded, Fong Po Kuan, a member of parliament for Batu Gajah. They claimed she “leaked” every month.[9]
Mana ada bocor? Batu Gajah pun bocor tiap-tiap bulan juga!
What leak? Batu Gajah leaks every month!
The pair offered an apology for their statements but were rejected by Fong, who considered them insincere.[9]
In 2014, he tweeted “Long Live Hitler” following Germany’s 7–1 win over Brazil in the semi-final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The tweet attracted international news coverage[10] and was declared “unacceptable” by Holger Michael, a German ambassador to Malaysia.[11]
In 2018, when opposition member Willie Mongin alleged that he had visited a casino, Bung Moktar responded:
Apa ni, biadab, ini kurang ajar! [inaudible] Samseng! What you want? You nak gaduh dengan saya? Ini time! Fuck you![12]
What is this, this rude and ill-mannered (person)! [inaudible] Gangster! What do you want? You want to fight with me? This is the time! Fuck you!
The incident became an internet meme focusing on the combination of Malay language and Bung Moktar’s broken English.[13]
Previously just a parliamentary backbencher at the federal level, Bung Moktar entered state politics following Barisan Nasional and UMNO’s defeat in the 2018 general election, whereupon the party suffered from crippling high-level defections. He took over and restructured the party in Sabah, and was credited with saving the party. He led the party through the 2020 Sabah state election, taking part in the formation of the subsquent goverment. He simulatenously served as one of three deputy chief ministers as well as minister of works.[14][1]
After falling out with chief minister Hajiji Noor, Bung Moktar attempted to engineer a change of government by pulling UMNO’s support in the state legislative assembly, resulting in the 2023 Sabah political crisis.[15][16] The crisis concluded when Bung Moktar and UMNO were excluded from the state government.[citation needed]
He led the party into the 2025 Sabah state election, where it won five seats. It was included in the state government formed by Hajiji. He retained his state seat of Lamag with a majority of 153 votes.[1]
Bung Moktar was in a polygamous marriage to Nor Asidah Alimudin and Zizie Ezette Abdul Samad, and had seven children.[1]
His marriage to his second wife was done without the consent of a marriage registrar, for which he was sentenced to a month’s imprisonment. He avoided jail time by paying the fine in lieu.[17]
Bung Moktar reportedly fell ill after filing his nomination papers on 15 November 2025. He was hospitalised but released a few days later. Despite being advised to rest, he returned to campaigning.[18]
Media outlets reported that Bung Moktar had been hospitalised again on 4 December as a result of a lung infection.[19] He was later revealed to be in critical condition as a result of kidney failure and a lung infection. Bung Moktar died the next day at Kota Kinabalu Gleneagles Hospital. He was 67.[20]
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | N23 Kuamut | Bung Moktar Radin (UMNO) | 1,449 | 37.24% | Joseph Sitin Saang (PBS) | 2,184 | 56.13% | 3,944 | 735 | 72.34% | ||
| Ali Latip Taha (IND) | 258 | 6.63% | ||||||||||
| 2020 | N58 Lamag | Bung Moktar Radin (UMNO) | 3,035 | 54.06% | Mohd Ismail Ayob (WARISAN) | 2,374 | 31.40% | 5,614 | 661 | 68.81% | ||
| Junny Abdullah (IND) | 73 | 1.47% | ||||||||||
| Razman Mayah (PCS) | 71 | 3.32% | ||||||||||
| Sairin Abd. Rahman (PPRS) | 61 | 1.47% | ||||||||||
| 2025 | Bung Moktar Radin (UMNO) | 3,908 | 39.14% | Mohd Ismail Ayob (IND) | 3,755 | 37.61% | 9,984 | 153 | 72.04% | |||
| Johainizamshah Johari (GAGASAN) | 1,646 | 16.49% | ||||||||||
| Mohd Saifulah Lokman (WARISAN) | 372 | 3.73% | ||||||||||
| Mazlin Madali (BERSATU) | 258 | 2.58% | ||||||||||
| Salahuddin Anoi (PIS) | 45 | 0.45% | ||||||||||
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | P162 Kinabatangan | Bung Moktar Radin (UMNO) | 8,141 | 65.72% | Ali Latip Taha (PBS) | 4,246 | 34.28% | 12,597 | 3,895 | 58.84% | |||
| 2004 | P187 Kinabatangan | Bung Moktar Radin (UMNO) |
Unopposed |
||||||||||
| 2008 | Bung Moktar Radin (UMNO) | 8,507 | 69.71% | Ahmad Abdul (PKR) | 2,181 | 17.87% | 12,792 | 6,326 | 65.53% | ||||
| Dasim Jikah (IND) | 1,515 | 12.41% | |||||||||||
| 2013 | Bung Moktar Radin (UMNO) | 13,377 | 69.29% | Abdullah Abdul Sani (PKR) | 3,646 | 18.89% | 19,960 | 9,731 | 80.80% | ||||
| Yambuya Parantis (STAR) | 1,153 | 12.41% | |||||||||||
| Ali Latip Taha (IND) | 1,130 | 5.85% | |||||||||||
| 2018 | Bung Moktar Radin (UMNO) | 14,465 | 67.22% | Ghazali Abdul Ghani (WARISAN) | 4,987 | 23.18% | 22,179 | 9,478 | 77.47% | ||||
| Mustapa Datu Tambuyong (PHRS) | 2,066 | 9.60% | |||||||||||
| 2022 | Bung Moktar Radin (UMNO) | 16,842 | 57.43% | Mazliwati Abdul Malek (WARISAN) | 12,512 | 42.62% | 29,882 | 4,330 | 65.56% | ||||
Honours of Malaysia
[edit]
