BN Chairman Passes Away

5 December 2025

KOTA KINABALU: Veteran politician Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin has died at the age of 66. The longtime Member of Parliament for Kinabatangan and chairman of Barisan Nasional Sabah (BN Sabah) passed away at 1.46am in a private hospital here.

He was admitted for a lung infection and kidney failure, a day prior.

His son, Naim Kurniawan, announced his passing on social media.

Bung Moktar was serving as the state assemblyman for Lamag, a seat he had successfully defended in the recent Sabah state election.

A well known politician, he first entered federal politics in 1999, winning the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat, which he went on to hold for 26 years over six terms. In the decades that followed, he emerged as a significant force in Sabah’s political landscape, helping to steer BN Sabah through major electoral and party shifts.

His death has prompted a wave of condolences from political leaders across Sabah and the nation. Many have praised his long service and substantial role in shaping the state’s politics for more than two decades.