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Teresa Kok

Yang Berhormat Puan Teresa Kok MP
郭素沁
Deputy Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office 16 July 2024
Nominated by	Anwar Ibrahim
Appointed by	Johari Abdul
Chairperson	Mas Ermieyati Samsudin
Preceded by	Wong Shu Qi
Constituency	Seputeh
Minister of Primary Industries
In office 2 July 2018 – 24 February 2020
Monarchs	Muhammad V (2018–2019) Abdullah (2019–2020)
Prime Minister	Mahathir Mohamad
Deputy	Shamsul Iskandar Md. Akin
Preceded by	Mah Siew Keong (Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities)
Succeeded by	Khairuddin Razali (Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities)
Constituency	Seputeh
Senior Member of the Selangor State Executive Council (Investment, Trade and Industry)
In office 25 March 2008 – 29 May 2013
Monarch	Sharafuddin
Menteri Besar	Khalid Ibrahim
Preceded by	Tang See Hang (Member)
Succeeded by	Ean Yong Hian Wah (Member)
Constituency	Kinrara
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Seputeh
Incumbent
Assumed office 29 November 1999
Preceded by	Liew Ah Kim (DAP)
Majority	5,200 (1999) 12,895 (2004) 36,492 (2008) 51,552 (2013) 56,059 (2018) 67,187 (2022)
Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly for Kinrara
In office 8 March 2008 – 5 May 2013
Preceded by	Kow Chong Wei (BN–MCA)
Succeeded by	Ng Sze Han (PR–DAP)
Majority	5,739 (2008)
Personal details
Born	Teresa Kok Suh Sim (1964-03-31) 31 March 1964 (age 60) Selangor, Malaysia
Citizenship	Malaysian
Political party	Democratic Action Party (DAP)
Other political affiliations	Gagasan Rakyat (GR) Barisan Alternatif (BA) (1999–2004) Pakatan Rakyat (PR) (2008–2015) Pakatan Harapan (PH) (since 2015)
Alma mater	Universiti Malaya Universiti Sains Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman University College
Occupation	Politician
Website	www.teresakok.com

Teresa Kok Suh Sim (Chinese: 郭素沁; pinyin: Guō Sùqìn; Jyutping: Gwok3 Sou3 Sam3; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Koeh Sò͘-sim; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Kwo̍k Su-tshim; born 31 March 1964) is a Malaysian politician who has served as Deputy Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) since July 2024 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Seputeh since November 1999. She served as the Minister of Primary Industries in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) 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 (EXCO) in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state administration under former Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim as well as Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Kinrara from March 2008 to May 2013. She is a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the PH coalition.

Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Teresa is a third generation Malaysian of Chinese descent. Kok is a member of the Hakka dialect group and her ancestors were from Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China. She commands Malay, English and Chinese Languages with fluency in Hakka and Cantonese dialects. Kok is a Catholic by religion.^[1]

She graduated with a Bachelor of Communication from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in 1990, and obtained a Master of Philosophy from University of Malaya. Her thesis was on United Malays National Organization (UMNO), titled "Factionalism in Umno During Dr Mahathir's Era (1981–2001)".

Kok writes in weekly column for Chinese newspaper Sin Chew Daily. In 2004, she published a book compiling articles she wrote for the then Chinese daily.

Kok was political secretary to Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang from 1990 to 1995. In 1995 general election, she contested the Ipoh Barat Parliamentary seat on a DAP ticket but was defeated by the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) candidate. 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 (PD Burma) from 1996 till 1998.

In the 1999 general election, Kok won the Parliamentary seat of SeputehinKuala Lumpur with a majority of 5,200 and was re-elected in 2004 with a majority of 12,895, the largest winning margin among the 13 elected DAP MPs.

In the 2008 general election, Kok retained the Seputeh seat with a majority of 36,492, the largest majority in any constituency and won the Kinrara seat in Selangor State Legislative Assembly at the same time. She 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.

In2013 general election, she won re-election to Parliament, garnering over 86 percent of the formal votes cast in her Seputeh constituency.

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 (PKR) as the move of Pakatan Harapan using a common symbol in the election.

In view of the bad market of palm oil, she launches few palm oil drinking campaign to boost the market demand on the palm oil and further inviting local tour guide to become the ambassadors for palm oil.^[2]

In 2008, she was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA). Under the act, the police have no obligation to disclose the alleged offence if any at all. The Malay newspaper Utusan Malaysia had reported she had "advised" a mosque in Puchong not to use loudspeakers while making the azan. She denied the allegation.^[3] It was found out later that a faulty loudspeaker system was the reason why the mosque did not broadcast the azan.^[4] Furthermore, while there was a petition sent to the mosque, the petition requested for the mosque to lower the volume during 'ceramah' or sermons and not during the azan.^[5] The administrator of the mosque, as well as the petitioners, confirmed that Kok was not involved in the petition.^[6] She was released on 19 September 2008.^[7][8] On 27 September, two Molotov cocktails were thrown into the compound of her family residence, accompanied by a warning letter. No one was hurt.^[9]

In May 2014, Kok was charged with sedition for making a Chinese New Year video posted on YouTube which allegedly contained seditious elements. Kok was among the first of several other opposition politicians to be caught in a nationwide sedition dragnet.^[10][11]

On 26 February 2022, during a speech for the 2022 Johor state election, Kok asked the police to allow them to speak for 30 more minutes. Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, speeches in the electoral campaign can only be 2 hours. 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. After that, she said that if Pakatan Harapan is the government, they won't set such restrictions and "warned" the police to be careful.^[12] On 2 March 2022, she stated that the MCA dinner nearby had disrupted them, therefore making them starting the speech 30 minutes later Also, she stated that the police refused them to extend the speech for 30 minutes as they are the opposition.^[13]

Despite the criticism from activists back home, Teresa Kok kept up with her palm oil activism despite narrow scares at the ballot box. The palm oil industry reciprocated her support by providing indirect campaign support and this drew further brickbats from critics. She admonished member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), should support one another against outside threats to an industry as important to the region as palm oil.^[14] Teresa Kok also opposed World Health Organization (WHO) advice to adult to avoid palm oil in their diet during the Covid-19 outbreak and use alternatives such as olive oil.^[15]

• Kok, Teresa (2002). "Government Should Not Send The Rohingya Refugees Who Broke Into The UNHCR Office Back To Burma". Retrieved 5 November 2005.
• Kok, Teresa (2005). "Teresa Kok Suh Sim". Retrieved 29 October 2005.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Teresa Kok.

Wikiquote has quotations related to Teresa Kok.

• Teresa Kok's blog.
• Teresa Kok's Parliamentary Web Page

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