UMNO has signalled it is not yet prepared to discuss a successor to the late Bung Moktar Radin, with senior figures saying the party is still grieving the loss of the veteran Sabah leader, who died on 5 December.
UMNO Puteri chief Nurul Amal Mohd Fauzi said the party’s Supreme Council meeting on Tuesday was merely a routine monthly session and did not deliberate on any replacement for Bung Moktar, who had chaired the UMNO Sabah liaison committee and recently won the Lamag state seat.
She said the leadership briefly touched on the 17th Sabah state election held on 29 November but avoided discussions about the future of the Lamag seat.
According to her, the meeting began with a short tahlil prayer to honour Bung Moktar, who, she recalled, had been a constant presence at the party’s key political gatherings.
“Many leaders are still saddened and affected by the passing of the late Bung Moktar; we are not ready yet to discuss a successor,” she said. “Emotions are still very mixed, and the loss is deeply felt. Give us a little time.”
Speaking to reporters after the session at Menara Datuk Onn, Nurul Amal reiterated that nothing relating to Sabah succession had been on the agenda.
“We did not discuss anything about Sabah… many leaders are sad about this death; we still feel the loss,” she said.
“We are not discussing a replacement because we are not ready. Every political meeting, the late Bung Moktar would be beside me. Perhaps we need a little time.”
Bung Moktar, who also served as Kinabatangan MP and headed Barisan Nasional Sabah, defended his Lamag seat in the recent state election, securing a second term with a majority of 153 votes in a six-way contest. He died aged 66 in a private hospital in Kota Kinabalu less than a week after his victory.
In light of his passing, the Election Commission announced on Tuesday that a special meeting to determine arrangements for the Kinabatangan parliamentary and Lamag state by-elections will be held on 16 December.
The UMNO Supreme Council meeting was chaired by party president and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, and attended by vice-presidents Khaled Nordin and Johari Abdul Ghani, women’s chief Noraini Ahmad, youth chief Muhamad Akmal Saleh and secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki. - December 10, 2025
