Umno supreme council member Bung Moktar Radin has shared some tips on how his colleagues in the peninsula – who he says are racked by despair following the party’s May 9 polls defeat – can be an effective opposition.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, he said Umno should adopt the mindset and modus operandi of Pakatan Harapan when the latter was still the federal opposition.

This, according to Bung, involves “walloping” and throwing apparent allegations around with no fear of legal consequences.  

"Everybody has lost hope. Umno, particular my colleagues in the peninsula, have never been in the opposition. Like me in Sabah, I had been in the opposition for 15 years, this is nothing new to me," he said.

The five-term Kinabatangan MP was referring to BN taking over Sabah in 1994 after the defections of three Parti Bersatu Sabah assemblypersons.

Prior to that, PBS had governed the state for nine years, replacing Sabah People's United Front (Berjaya).

"That's why they have to learn how to be the opposition.

“We have to strengthen our party, we fight like the opposition (did) before they formed the government,” he said.

"They fight the (then-BN) government non-stop, they kept throwing speculation and as a result, many of them were charged in courts. They just walloped Umno and BN, they don't care.

"So, we want to work out like that. Or better than the previous opposition.”

'Learn to be the voice of the opposition'

Last week, he took to Twitter to convey a similar message.

"To my fellow BN MPs, learn to be the voice of the opposition. It will be difficult at first, as we are not used to being the opposition.

"(But) our workload as the opposition will not be as heavy as it is for the representatives from the ruling parties, there are many issues we can voice out later," he tweeted.

BN, which ruled the country for 61 years, suffered an unprecedented defeat in May 9 general election. It won just 79 parliamentary of the 222 parliamentary seats. Of these, Umno has 54.

Since then, four BN parties in Sabah have quit the opposition coalition. These are PBS, United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS).

In Sarawak led by BN, state ruling parties are also mulling leaving BN.