SANDAKAN: Datuk Seri Bung Moktar is the true "general" who can lead the people in Sabah, said Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
"He is truly qualified; Bung Moktar is really a Datuk Seri Panglima (general) who can lead the people.
"He has the style of young people, although his age is quite 'old', his heart is very young.
"He is the leader of all time," he said, urging Sabah BN to solve every petty problem that each component is facing.
Ahmad Zahid was speaking during the closing of the Sabah BN convention at SJKC Tiong Hua here.
The deputy prime minister said Sabah wants a unity government as there was Umno in the previous Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition.
In January last year, Bung and a few Umno lawmakers withdrew their support, toppling the GRS government, which resulted in an alleged split among BN and Umno leadership in Sabah.
When asked about possible collaboration during the upcoming state elections, Ahmad Zahid said the matter would only be decided "when the time comes".
During the parliamentary elections in 2022, Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, GRS, and a few independents joined hands to form the unity government.
"If we are destined to become a dominant party, we would definitely invite others to join us in governing," he added.
Earlier, Zahid had also commented on Bung's speech about the irrelevance of 14 local-based parties in Sabah.
He said BN would not waver even if there were 140 parties as the coalition is still relevant in Sabah.