25 Facts About Teresa Kok

Teresa Kok Suh Sim is a Malaysian politician who has served as Deputy Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee since July 2024 and the Member of Parliament for Seputeh since November 1999.

Teresa Kok served as the Minister of Primary Industries in the Pakatan Harapan administration under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad from July 2018 to the collapse of the PH administration in February 2020 and Senior Member of the Selangor State Executive Council in the Pakatan Rakyat state administration under former Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim as well as Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly for Kinrara from March 2008 to May 2013.

Teresa Kok is a member of the Democratic Action Party, a component party of the PH coalition.

Teresa Kok is a member of the Hakka dialect group and her ancestors were from Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China.

Teresa Kok graduated with a Bachelor of Communication from Universiti Sains Malaysia in 1990, and obtained a Master of Philosophy from University of Malaya.

Teresa Kok's thesis was on United Malays National Organization, titled "Factionalism in Umno During Dr Mahathir's Era ".

Teresa Kok writes in weekly column for Chinese newspaper Sin Chew Daily.

Teresa Kok was political secretary to Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang from 1990 to 1995.

Teresa Kok resigned as political secretary after that to further her studies and worked part-time at the Secretariat of the Political Leaders Network Promoting Democracy in Burma from 1996 till 1998.

Teresa Kok was elected in the new Selangor State Executive Council, and was named senior executive councillor who was put in charge of investment, trade and industry to ensure all funds are directed to Malaysians.

Teresa Kok was re-elected to Seputeh seat for the fifth term in the 2018 general election but on the ticket of People's Justice Party as the move of Pakatan Harapan using a common symbol in the election.

The administrator of the mosque, as well as the petitioners, confirmed that Teresa Kok was not involved in the petition.

In May 2014, Teresa Kok was charged with sedition for making a Chinese New Year video posted on YouTube which allegedly contained seditious elements.

Teresa Kok was among the first of several other opposition politicians to be caught in a nationwide sedition dragnet.

On 26 February 2022, during a speech for the 2022 Johor state election, Teresa Kok asked the police to allow them to speak for 30 more minutes.

Teresa Kok stated that they started the speech late at 8:30pm, so they should have 2 hours till 10:30pm, but the police in charge of the speech rejected her request.

On 7 September 2024, Teresa Kok voiced her opposition to the proposal by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department to make the halal certification compulsory for restaurants and food establishments that do not serve pork or alcohol.

Teresa Kok said that this could be a burden to small businesses and restricts consumer freedom.

Teresa Kok's opposition was met with fierce criticisms, with UMNO Youth Chief Muhamad Akmal Saleh likening Kok to as 'nyonya tua' and sarcastically called for the government to create a non-halal logo and paste on Kok's forehead as well as asking Kok to keep quiet if she did not understand the proposal.

Opposition politicians from Perikatan Nasional slammed Teresa Kok for playing up with sensitive and religious issues involving Islam.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim clarified that Teresa Kok's stance is not similar to that of PH and described Teresa Kok's comments as unnecessary.

However, several politicians such as Minister of Transport and DAP Secretary-General Anthony Loke Siew Fook, former Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Zaid Ibrahim and former Deputy Chief Minister of Penang II Ramasamy Palanisamy defended Teresa Kok, arguing that Teresa Kok was just carrying out her responsibility as an MP as well as speaking and expressing the concerns on behalf of the people especially the non-Muslims.

Teresa Kok later has her statement recorded in the police headquarters.

Teresa Kok admonished member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, should support one another against outside threats to an industry as important to the region as palm oil.

Teresa Kok opposed World Health Organization advice to adult to avoid palm oil in their diet during the Covid-19 outbreak and use alternatives such as olive oil.