Teresa Kok

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.

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.

In the 2013 general election, she won re-election to Parliament, garnering over 86 percent of the formal votes cast in her Seputeh constituency.

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

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

Opposition politicians from Perikatan Nasional (PN) also slammed Kok for playing up with sensitive and religious issues involving Islam.

With the presence of her party leaders and supporters such as DAP National Chairman Lim Guan Eng, they reiterated their previous arguments in shield of Kok.

Lim also reaffirmed the party's full support for her in a press conference held shortly after recording her statement.

Despite the criticism from activists back home, Teresa Kok kept up with her palm oil activism despite narrow scares at the ballot box.

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.