KUALA LUMPUR – Sabah’s political arena is gearing up for a fresh storm as by‑elections for the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat and the Lamag state seat draw near, following the passing of political titan Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.
His departure leaves behind more than just two vacant seats — it opens a power vacuum in territories he dominated for nearly 30 years, setting the stage for a symbolic and emotionally charged battle over his legacy.
Within Umno Sabah, still reeling from grief, the search for his successor has already begun. Two names have surged to the forefront: his son, Mohd Naim Kurniawan Moktar, the fiery Umno Youth Chief of Kinabatangan, and his long‑time confidant, Datuk Jafry Ariffin, the newly minted Umno Sabah Chief.
Party insiders say Mohd Naim is strongly favoured to contest the Lamag state seat — the very seat his father had just defended for a second term in PRN17, mere days before his sudden passing.
Jafry, meanwhile, is widely expected to carry BN’s banner in Kinabatangan, a parliamentary stronghold Bung Moktar had held unbroken since 1999.
The Election Commission will announce the official by‑election dates after its special meeting on December 16, following confirmation of the unexpected vacancies.
Bung Moktar’s death last Friday at Gleneagle Hospital Kota Kinabalu sent shockwaves across Sabah’s political landscape. He had only recently secured Lamag with a razor‑thin 153‑vote majority in a six‑cornered fight. At the national level, he defended Kinabatangan for the sixth time in GE15 with a comfortable 4,330‑vote margin.
Now, all eyes are on the two men closest to him: Mohd Naim, seen as the natural heir to his father’s political stature, and Jafry, the loyal lieutenant who stood by Bung Moktar through Umno Sabah’s darkest hours after BN’s fall in 2018. Both are viewed as the most credible torchbearers of the movement he built.
Some loyalists have even suggested that rival parties should refrain from contesting the by‑elections altogether — a symbolic gesture to honour Bung Moktar’s nearly three decades of service to Kinabatangan.
This by‑election is no ordinary political contest. It is a battle over legacy, loyalty, and a struggle that did not end with the man who started it. – December 11, 2025