A SARAWAK DAP assemblyman has alleged the wife of state legal council JC Fong harassed her over a matter raised in the legislative assembly involving the couple’s daughter.

Pending rep Violet Yong said Annie Fong had “confronted and interrogated” her in an area of the Sarawak legislative assembly that is off-limits to the public and reserved for assemblymen and government officials only.

Yong said spouses of elected representatives and key government officers should not be allowed into the legislative members’ lounge and asked Deputy Speaker Gerawat Gala how Fong’s wife had been allowed into the area.

Yong said Annie had approached her and questioned her why Yong had highlighted the commercial interests of JC and Annie’s daughter in her debate speech last week. Annie then began crying in front of Yong.

This part of Yong’s debate speech has since been expunged from Hansard on the grounds that their daughter was not present to defend herself from the allegations because she is not a member of the legislative assembly.

“All (assemblymen) here should feel comfortable to raise issues without fear or favour, much less to live with the dread of wrath and emotional abuse by visitors who hold personal grudges against any one of us because of what we as the elected representatives have raised in this house.

“The worst is when the visitor is allowed to enter and to cause distress to us when the (lounge) area should be a safe haven for all elected representatives,” Yong said.

Asking for security to be tightened, Yong said the legislative assembly should not be abused and used as a place for personal emotional harassment and treated as an ordinary marketplace.

Gerawat said he would take note of Yong’s complaint. – November 12, 2019.