Ngeh Koo Ham

Dato' Ngeh Koo Ham (simplified Chinese: 倪可汉; traditional Chinese: 倪可漢; pinyin: Ní Kěhàn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Gê Khó-hàn, Bàng-uâ-cê: Ngà̤ Kō̤-háng; born 29 September 1961), also known as James Ngeh, is a Malaysian politician, advocate and solicitor who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Beruas since March 2008.

He served as Speaker of the Perak State Legislative Assembly from July 2018 to May 2020, Member of the Perak State Executive Council (EXCO) in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) administration under former Menteri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin from March 2008 to the collapse of the PR administration in February 2009 and Member of the Assembly (MLA) for Sitiawan from March 2004 to May 2018.

In one of his more famous cases during his legal career, Ngeh Koo Ham represented Sitiawan businessman Yong Kon Fatt, who was sued by Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd (IWK) in January 2005 for refusing to pay RM1,074 for sewerage services purportedly provided to his house at Taman Samudera in Lumut.

The High Court sitting in Ipoh ruled that 'those who have made payments to IWK but had not received any sewerage services could demand refunds'.

[1] In DAP, Ngeh has been the party's chairperson in Perak since 2000 until 2014, when the post changed hands to Nga Kor Ming, his cousin.

Ngeh begun to be a state assemblyman for Sitiawan, Perak for three terms continuously following his victories in the 2004, 2008 and 2013 general elections.

[8] Ngeh resigns as the Perak Speaker on 12 May 2020 after the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH)'s state and federal governments in the 2020 political crisis.

[9] As MP for Beruas, he called for the appointment of non Muslims experts to the committee reviewing the power of shariah courts.

[10] In 2012, Ngeh drew flak with remarks over the "Innocence of Muslims" film which insulted Muhammad and Islam.

Later in 2012, DAP chairman Karpal Singh had rebuked Ngeh and Teng Chang Khim on their acceptance "Datukship" awards of Perak in 2008 and Selangor in 2010 respectively; which had breached the party's long-standing principal agreed upon since the mid-1990s on DAP elected representatives receiving awards during their active political service.