KOTA KINABALU, Dec. 5 -- Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman and six-term Kinabatangan MP Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin has died after undergoing treatment for a severe lung infection. He was 66.

His son, Naim Kurniawan Moktar, confirmed that Bung Moktar breathed his last at 1.46am today at Gleneagles Hospital Kota Kinabalu, where he had been warded since Tuesday. He was moved to the intensive care unit after suffering kidney failure.

The news comes as a shock to many, less than a week after the 17th state election in which he won the Lamag state seat for the second time.

Bung was one of Malaysia's most recognisable political figures - an outspoken, controversial presence in Parliament and never one to shy away from colourful remarks t...