Bung Moktar Radin

Summary

Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin (1959–2025) was a six-term Kinabatangan MP and Lamag assemblyman who served as the dominant figure of Sabah UMNO for over two decades, most notably as Deputy Chief Minister I and Minister of Works of Sabah from 2020 to 2023. He died in office on 5 December 2025, six days after retaining his Lamag state seat in the 17th Sabah State Election with a majority of 153 votes. He is remembered for his outspoken advocacy of Sabah's development rights and his role in stabilising UMNO in Sabah after the 2018 electoral setback.

Biography

Datuk Seri Bung Moktar bin Radin (15 September 1959 – 5 December 2025) was a Malaysian politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Kinabatangan from 1999 until his death in office, and as the assemblyman for Lamag in the Sabah State Legislative Assembly from 2020 until his death [1]. Born in Sukau, Kinabatangan, he held a Master of Philosophy in Policy Analysis and Security from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) [2]. He began his career in public service at the Sandakan Department of Special Affairs from 1987 to 1991, followed by a posting as MARA Sandakan Rural Officer from 1991 to 1992, before serving as Political Secretary at the Sabah Ministry of Finance from 1994 to 1999 [3]. He was initially a member of the United Sabah National Organisation (USNO), serving as Youth Chief of its Kinabatangan division from 1979 to 1990, transitioning into UMNO when the party established its Sabah branch [1]. First elected as Kinabatangan MP in the 1999 general election, he retained the seat across six consecutive general elections [2]. Following the 2018 general election, amid mass defections from Sabah UMNO, he assumed the chairmanship of both Sabah Barisan Nasional and Sabah UMNO [4]. He led the party through the 2020 Sabah state election, winning the newly created Lamag state seat and being appointed Deputy Chief Minister I and Minister of Works of Sabah [3]. After a political fallout with Chief Minister Hajiji Noor, he withdrew UMNO's support from the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah government in January 2023 in what was known as the Kinabalu Move; the attempt failed [5]. He defended the Lamag seat in the 17th Sabah State Election on 29 November 2025 with a majority of 153 votes, but died six days later on 5 December 2025 at Gleneagles Hospital Kota Kinabalu due to a lung infection and kidney failure [4].

Known for

Bung Moktar Radin was known as a six-term Kinabatangan MP and a central figure in Sabah UMNO, credited with holding the party together following the mass defections of 2018 and leading it back into state government via the 2020 Sabah election [4]. He served as Deputy Chief Minister I and Minister of Works of Sabah from 2020 to 2023, with oversight of state infrastructure including the Pan Borneo Highway [3]. He was also widely noted across his 26-year parliamentary career for outspoken advocacy for Sabah's development rights, alongside several incidents of combative conduct in parliamentary debates that attracted public attention [1].

Political positions

Bung Moktar consistently advocated for Sabah's development parity with Peninsular Malaysia. He called on the federal Health Ministry to prioritise equal access to healthcare in Sabah, pointing out that the state's poorest districts — including areas within his Kinabatangan constituency such as Tongod — lacked basic health infrastructure, and that the deficit in healthcare access was a key reason Sabah remained among Malaysia's poorest states [6]. As Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Works, he championed rural infrastructure projects, including the Pan Borneo Highway [3]. He publicly criticised high airline fares to Sabah and Sarawak during festive seasons as unfair to East Malaysians and called on the federal Transport Ministry to intervene [3]. He supported the anti-party hopping legislation, citing his own record of loyalty to UMNO during the 2018 political upheaval as evidence of his convictions [3]. He also called for accelerated COVID-19 vaccine delivery to Sabah, offering himself as a volunteer for early testing [6].

Education

1. Pre-1987Graduated with a Master of Philosophy (Policy Analysis and Security) from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).⛓

Before politics

1. 1979–1990Served as Youth Chief of the Kinabatangan division of USNO, transitioning into UMNO when the party expanded to Sabah in 1990.⛓
2. 1987–1991Served at the Sandakan Department of Special Affairs (JASA).⛓
3. 1991–1992Served as MARA Sandakan Rural Officer.⛓
4. 1994–1999Appointed Political Secretary to the Minister of Finance of Sabah.⛓

Political career

1. 1996Became Division Chief of Kinabatangan UMNO.⛓
2. 1994Contested the 1994 Sabah state election for the Kuamut seat and lost.⛓
3. November 1999First elected as Member of Parliament for Kinabatangan in the 10th General Election.⛓
4. 2004–2022Retained the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat in the 2004, 2008, 2013, 2018, and 2022 general elections.⛓
5. 2008–2018Served as Deputy Chairman of the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers' Club (BNBBC).⛓
6. 2018Following mass defections from Sabah UMNO after BN's defeat in GE14, assumed the chairmanship of Sabah BN and Sabah UMNO.⛓
7. September 2020Won the newly created Lamag state seat in the 16th Sabah State Election with a majority of 661 votes; subsequently appointed Deputy Chief Minister I and Minister of Works of Sabah.⛓
8. January 2023Led UMNO's withdrawal of support from Chief Minister Hajiji Noor's government in what was known as the Kinabalu Move; the attempt to change the state government failed, and Bung Moktar lost his Cabinet positions.⛓
9. 29 November 2025Defended the Lamag state seat in the 17th Sabah State Election with a majority of 153 votes in a six-cornered contest.⛓

Election history

• 2025Lamag (Sabah State)Won⛓
• 2022Kinabatangan (Parliament)Won⛓
• 2020Lamag (Sabah State)Won⛓
• 2018Kinabatangan (Parliament)Won⛓
• 2013Kinabatangan (Parliament)Won⛓
• 2008Kinabatangan (Parliament)Won⛓
• 2004Kinabatangan (Parliament)Won⛓
• 1999Kinabatangan (Parliament)Won⛓
• 1994Kuamut (Sabah State)Lost⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentPrime Minister Anwar Ibrahim remembered Bung Moktar as a steadfast figure who consistently championed the interests of Sabah and its people, stating: "His service and commitment in the political arena, particularly for the people of Sabah and the country, will always be valued and remembered."⛓
• OppositionPKR Subang MP Wong Chen described Bung Moktar as a "controversial and colourful MP" in public who was nevertheless "kind and friendly" in private, saying he would miss him as a "larger-than-life character in Parliament."⛓
• AffectedMalay Mail reported that to many in Kinabatangan and Lamag, Bung Moktar was known as a generous and approachable leader who frequently helped villagers quietly and without publicity.⛓
• ExpertCodeBlue (Galen Centre) reported Bung Moktar's call for equal healthcare access in Sabah, noting he pointed to Sabah's poorest districts — including Tongod, within his own constituency — as areas lacking basic health infrastructure, and argued this deficit was one of the main reasons Sabah remained poor.⛓
• VerifiedFactsBung Moktar served as MP for Kinabatangan for six consecutive terms from 1999 to 2025 and as Lamag assemblyman from 2020 until his death; he was Chairman of Sabah BN and Sabah UMNO from 2018 to 2025, and Deputy Chief Minister I and Minister of Works of Sabah from 2020 to 2023. He was posthumously discharged and acquitted of three corruption charges on 16 January 2026 following the prosecution's decision not to proceed after his death.⛓

Business interests (publicly reported)

Bung Moktar served as non-executive Chairman of Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (FELCRA) Berhad, a federal statutory body, during which period he faced corruption charges that were subsequently dropped following his death (Source: bernama.com). He also served as President of the Sabah Football Association (SAFA), from which he resigned in January 2023 (Source: bernama.com). No private commercial business interests have been separately reported by credible Malaysian news outlets on the allowlist.

Notable legal history

In April 2010, Bung Moktar pleaded guilty at the Gombak Timur Lower Syariah Court to entering into a polygamous marriage without the consent of the Syariah Court. He was sentenced to one month's imprisonment and fined RM1,000 in default of one month's jail on a second charge of abetting his wife, actress Zizie Izette Abdul Samad, to marry without the consent of a marriage registrar. He avoided the imprisonment by paying the fine in lieu (Sources: thestar.com.my — May 19 and May 20, 2010; en.wikipedia.org). On 3 May 2019, Bung Moktar pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court to three corruption charges alleging he accepted bribes totalling approximately RM2.8 million as inducement to obtain FELCRA Berhad's approval to invest RM150 million in Public Mutual unit trust products, when he was the non-executive Chairman of FELCRA (Source: bernama.com). The case proceeded through multiple proceedings including a prima facie ruling in September 2022, a High Court acquittal on revision in September 2023, and a Court of Appeal order in November 2024 reinstating the requirement for the defence stage. Following Bung Moktar's death on 5 December 2025, the prosecution informed the Sessions Court it would not proceed against him; the court formally discharged and acquitted him posthumously on 16 January 2026 (Sources: malaymail.com, bernama.com, theedgemalaysia.com, malaysiakini.com).