Woman of substance

IN the 2006 state election, Violet Yong, a greenhorn who contested under the DAP ticket, shocked political pundits when she beat veteran Barisan Nasional candidate and Pending incumbent Datuk Sim Kheng Hui with a comfortable majority of 4,372 votes. She was just 29 years old then. A law graduate from Melbourne, Australia, Yong returned to her hometown in Kuching to practise law in a private firm in 2001. That year also saw her joining DAP. In early 2005, some party leaders in the state lobbied for her to be a candidate. She spoke to StarMetro on her political journey and what keeps her going.

Question: Did it take you a long time to decide whether to be a candidate for Pending in 2006?