Bung to Sabah voters: 'Why not try me as CM?'

Summary

• Bung Moktar Radin makes an appeal to Sabah voters to consider him for the chief minister’s post.

• The Sabah Umno chief says he has not had his turn, with Warisan’s Shafie Apdal and Bersatu’s Hajiji Noor helming the state.

INTERVIEW | Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin has made a direct pitch to voters as preparations heat up for the 17th state election - asking them to consider him for the chief minister’s post.

“Why not try me?” said the six-term Kinabatangan MP, who also holds the Lamag state seat, during an appearance on KiniTV’s podcast.

The Umno supreme council member said Sabahans should assess the track record of leaders eyeing the post, particularly Chief Minister Hajiji Noor, whose Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-led administration has come under his frequent criticism.

“To be frank, it’s not that I dislike him because we are friends. But his leadership has not brought much change to Sabah’s prosperity.

“He (Hajiji) uses the slogan Sabah Maju Jaya. At the top level, it’s Sabah Maju Jaya, but on the ground, the roads are full of potholes. There’s no water. Electricity goes out eight times a day,” Bung (above) said.

The latest Election Commission data recorded that the number of registered voters in Sabah has risen to 1,779,839, compared to 1,124,598 during the last Sabah state election in 2020.

‘Shafie, Hajiji had their turn’

Bung noted that Warisan president Shafie Apdal, who has declared plans for his party to contest all 73 seats solo, had also previously served as chief minister.

“We can see Shafie has already been chief minister, Hajiji has as well, the others too have been - but I have not yet,” he said.

The veteran MP went on to recount his dealings with Hajiji in the tense hours following his swearing-in as chief minister at Istana Negeri on Sept 29, 2020.

Bung recalled that he was initially named as deputy chief minister I and works minister in an agreement with Bersatu, but was instead sworn in as housing and local government minister.

“On the very first day, he (Hajiji) already deceived me… But right after the oath, once the governor had left, I went home and I called Hajiji.

“I told him: ‘If you don’t change this within one hour, we in BN will dissolve this government.’ Then he changed it,” said Bung.

Fallout with Hajiji

Bung accused Hajiji of continuing “lies upon lies” which eventually pushed Umno and BN out of the GRS government in 2022.

He further alleged that staying on in the administration could have seen Umno leaders implicated in scandals, including the controversial mineral exploration deals.

According to Bung, who is defending himself against three corruption charges related to his role as former Felcra non-executive chairperson, Sabah’s natural wealth should be harnessed transparently and fairly to restore people’s confidence and create jobs.

“We will do it transparently and establish a special body under Yayasan Sabah to oversee mineral exploration.

“We will also create a fund called the Sabah People’s Wealth Fund.

“This will be set up, and the profits will be returned to the people of Sabah,” he said, promising an immediate execution once elected into power.

Bung also stressed that the sincerity of leadership matters more than which coalition governs.

“Even a government, if it has no commitment to uplift the people and change the fate of Sabahans, then Sabah will remain one of the most backwards and poorest states forever.

“So I am truly determined, together with my colleagues, to change this situation and bring Sabah to a level of success greater than other states,” he said.

Personal plans

On his personal plans for the people, Bung insisted his focus is less about projecting himself as a leader, but on ensuring concrete solutions to long-standing problems that have hindered the state’s development.

He pointed out that Sarawak generates electricity for its own consumption and sells the rest to the Philippines, Singapore, Sabah and even Kuala Lumpur.

The shortage in Sabah, he argued, is a major factor driving the migration of hundreds of thousands of Sabahans to the peninsula for work.

“Why are there about 450,000 of our people working in Penang, Johor, Malacca, Kedah, and other states? Because job opportunities are not available in Sabah,” he said.

Bung stressed that many investors were keen to invest in Sabah but were deterred by basic infrastructure woes.

He also outlined plans to relocate the state’s main airport to a new site and develop a new port in Kudat, citing its location along international shipping routes.

“This is expected to boost Sabah’s economy. We will also transform Yayasan Sabah and all government-linked companies in the state.

“And we will provide free education for Sabahans, with tuition up to the university level fully funded by the state government,” he added.

The state election, which must be held by Dec 7, 2025, is expected to see shifting alliances and multi-cornered contests, with GRS expected to clash with BN despite a “love triangle” alliance brokered by Pakatan Harapan.

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