After no-show, Violet challenges JC Fong to contest in Pending in state polls

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Yong speaking to reporters after the 2020 State Budget in this file photo.

KUCHING: Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong has challenged Dato Sri JC Fong to contest against her in the next state election after she snubbed the state legal counsel’s challenge to face him over allegations she had met against him.

“If he (Fong) wants further to have the issue vindicated, I challenge him to stand as a candidate under Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) in Pending in the coming State election,” said Yong in a press statement today.

“I am elected by the voters in Pending, I do my duty as the representative of the voters in Pending. Let the voters in Pending be the ultimate judge on this matter,” she added.

Fong had invited Yong to a meeting at the State Legislative Assembly cafeteria at 3pm today during which he wanted her waive her parliamentary immunity and repeat her allegations during the recent legislative assembly sitting against him so that he could take action against her.

Yong, who is also Sarawak DAP organising secretary, said as an elected representative, it was her duty to bring up issues that concern the people of Sarawak.

“In the just concluded Sarawak State Assembly, I pointed out some Petros Board members who either have shares or hold directorships in companies that procured contract projects from Petronas. There is an issue of conflict of interest (here),” she said.

“As for JC Fong’s challenge to bring the matter to the Court of Law, my simple answer is that it is my constitutional rights to speak in the DUN without fear or favour and the judge of my
performance and what I said in the DUN is the people of Sarawak in general and voters in
Pending in particular,” she insisted.

On the issue of conflict of interest involving the member of the Petros’ Board of Directors, Yong said she has no intention to “fight JC Fong in the Court of Law.”

“If he is of the view that what I said is wrong, he, as the Sarawak State Legal Advisor, is in the position to have his defence or argument read out by any one of the State Ministers during the DUN sitting to refute my statement in it. Why he did not do so?,” she asked

On Nov 6, the DUN expunged the allegations by Yong and effectively they are not recorded in the Hansard. However, her debate speech on the 2020 State Budget where the allegations were made has gone viral on social media.

The Borneo Post was made to understand that Yong flew to Kuala Lumpur this morning.