The MP for Seputeh who calls herself 'Sassy MP' admits that being female and single has made her the object of jokes in various situations, from Parliament to public forums.
Teresa Kok sat down with Rentakini recently for a chat.
A recent entry in your blog tells that you are adding "a little spunk" to your hairstyle. Do you think your appearance and grooming are important in how people view you?
I like to be myself. You can pretend to be quiet, sweet, for a while but you cannot put on that kind of pretense for too long - somehow it will come out. If you like to laugh wholeheartedly, maybe on certain occasions, you can only smile but finally you will burst out laughing or crack jokes or do whatever you like. I believe, number one, to be myself and number two, I cannot simply wear the clothes that I like because I am a public figure. Sometimes, there were people, especially men, who commented on what I wore. I have supporters who had told me that the clothes I wore were not so nice.
Do you use expensive skin care products?
Yes, I do. Did you notice that my skin is better now? Recently people commented that my skin looks better. ( Laughs )
Do you believe in plastic surgery for cosmetic purposes?
I am not that pretty but I think I look acceptable. I should say that I look better as I get older. You can compare my current and old photographs. I hope I will look much, much better as I get much, much older. ( More laughter )
What books are you reading currently?
There are many books that I have always wanted to read but did not have the time to because I've been running around. That's my great disadvantage. But I should say that off and on, I would flip the Bible to find out some principles and teachings that I could remind myself about.
What would be the books that you would want to read so much now?
There are a few books that I want to read page-by-page and finish - the Chin Peng book and May 13 . These are the books that I have yet to study and dwell into. I feel that our lives is "touch and go" and "hi and bye". We move from one thing to another. Sometimes I feel that this is an advantage for us. We have to entertain people until we don't have time to study certain issues and write our own pieces about it.
What are your hobbies?
Is going to church a hobby or not?
That's an obligation. Do you play games, sports or anything?
Whenever I have time, I like to go to the park at Bukit Jalil to have a walk.
What's your favourite movie of all time?
I can't remember.
When was the last time you went to the movies?
I think about three months ago.
What was the movie you saw?
I just happened to have time to go shopping with my friend so I went to the theater. Oh yea, the last movie I saw, the night after the "bocor" incident, YB Fong Po Kuan and I went to see Spiderman 3 . Fong Po Kuan said the story was as hard as fighting with the Barisan Nasional MPs. After the parliamentary sitting, we immediately went to Mid Valley to watch the movie. We thought we could unwind but the movie added to our tension.
Do you have a favourite tourist destination?
I went to China three times last year. I like to go to China, especially Shanghai, to shop because I can buy cheap and trendy stuff there.
Which Chinese leader would you like to meet most?
I think I'd like to meet with Wu Yi, China's vice premier. I think she's an intelligent politician and able to carry herself well on the global stage.
Why do you want to see her?
I have heard of rather successful women in China but I hardly had chance to meet them because I am not in business and hardly deal with them. I am sure Wu Yi is someone whom I can learn from.
You are a bachelorette. Do you think it is an issue?
Because I am an MP and a public figure, people would make comments that I'm single. I'm so used to those comments. I get them at every election. The good thing about being a woman candidate is that the media likes to focus on you. In all sorts of interviews, this question will surely arise.
There was a women's programme in Seremban that I attended. During the dialogue session, the young female reporters just wanted to harp on this issue and asked "Who is your boyfriend?", "What are your criteria for a life partner?". I didn't really know how to answer because it was not something I
thought about so I just pointed at Anthony Loke (
right)
and said, "Like him
lah
." And the press said Teresa Kok said Anthony Loke is her ideal life partner. It came out in the evening edition. So the whole country reading
China Press
evening edition would be saying that Teresa Kok admires Anthony Loke. These people can be so annoying and I don't really know how to rebut them. So I guess the best thing is to laugh over such incidents.
Does your career interfere with your romantic life?
I think any man involved in a relationship with me has to be someone who is prepared to accept my vocation, my busy life. A lot of times we need to ask ourselves why we need a partner. It's because we want a happier life, we don't want to be alone. For me I always tell people that if you cannot find somebody who can support you, and whom you can also support back, then you'd better not get married. Don't get married for the sake of wanting a marriage.
If I want a companion, I can always find somebody to be with me - male or female. For example, if I can't find a female companion when I want to walk in the park, I can always find a member who is free enough to walk with me, if I want safety. I am not lonely. I have a group of friends, network - people whom I can go out with for a cup of tea or go shopping.
Will you ever want to get married?
If I can find a good man, yes. Why not? I should admit that being a female politician in Malaysia, being single is a topic, all the time. Being single is always an issue, whether we like it or not. Of course if I can find a good man, I can save myself from all these questions and hassle. In Parliament, it has happened not only once but many times, when we bring up women's issues, childcare centres and all that, I get replies like "You kahwin dulu baru cakap . You belum kahwin mana you tahu." I had to make it a point to ask the Speaker to ask them to apologise to me. It's quite an embarrassment but after some time, the whole country knows that you're single. So what?
Do you have a religion?
Yes. I am Roman Catholic.
Does religion mean a lot to you?
Yes.
How would you define your God?
I think my God loves people of all faiths. To me, God is love. I should say that lately there have been prophecies given to me by other Christians or pastors that encouraged me and strengthen me in my faith. It made me think that God is always walking with me and caring for me. That's why I said that from time to time, I would flip the Bible, especially in the morning to give myself some quiet moments to reflect on some Scripture passages. Sometimes I would also copy some of the passages and SMS them to people. It serves as a kind of reminder. Anything that touched me when I read the Bible, I would share it with other people.
Today I just sent to YB Fong Po Kuan and a few other friends "Jesus said, the man who can be trusted in little things, can be trusted in great. The man who is dishonest in little things, can be dishonest in great. (Luke 16:10)" You see, when you deal with people, things like these will remind us of who we want to choose to do what. I sent to Poh Kuan, Poh Kuan replied, "Thank you for the reminder."
Would you like to meet the Pope?
Yes, why not if there is an opportunity.
If you were not a politician, what do you think you would be? A nun?
No. Yesterday, someone who could read my so-called fate with my date of birth told me that I would never be a nun although I was named after Mother Teresa. It is true I was named after Mother Teresa. I was not born a Catholic. I was a convert (baptised in 1984) so I chose the name Teresa because I was very touched by Mother Teresa. In 1979, she got the Noble Peace Prize. I was touched by her service and love to other people.
If I were not a politician, I think I would be a social activist, someone you see in Suaram. This is a comment by a friend, when I was just elected an MP, Andrew Arias, "you should be lucky that you can get a fixed income to do something that you like for society." His words touched me. To put it in a spiritual sense, I think God has chosen me to be in this field so that I can use my position to help other people and bring up issues at the highest level. I told myself I shouldn't complain, although I still complain, and that I'm lucky. From this positive light, I will take all these hardships, sufferings, being misunderstood by people and so on. That means I can lead a happier life.
Why did you choose to become a Catholic?
My father is a Taoist. My mother is a Catholic. When I was young, I have been going to church with my maternal grandmother and stopped for a while. Somehow there is faith deep inside me that I looked for God, longed for God, searched for God. I finally managed to do so when I finished secondary school when I was old enough. My mother started going to church so I followed her to church and studied catechism. Of course there were miracles that happened when God answered my prayers for things that I prayed earnestly for - for my exams and all that. I found that God has been walking with me. I chose to be baptised even earlier than the batch because I felt that I should make a commitment to God because God had answered my prayers.
Are you afraid of death?
Yes and no. Yes because I see people suffering in great pain before they die. How much pain will I need to suffer before I breathe my last? I am also afraid of death by accident. I think that must be painful.
If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would you like to live?
I still prefer to live in Malaysia. Although I like foreign countries, I find some are too cold for my liking. The places that I have travelled to are too cold and lonely. In New Zealand and Australia, it is so quiet. There is no night life, how can I stand it? In Thailand, it is so dusty and noisy. In the Philippines, it is so crowded. I think I would be of more use in Malaysia. People always talk about migrating. For example, a friend of mine whose wife kept objecting him from being involved in politics - she said he might as well migrate to Australia and get involved in politics there after he had earned enough money. I asked my friend, "Who needs you to be a politician in Australia?" We are most needed here in this country because we are so undemocratic, so unfree and there are so many issues for us to champion.
What are the faults you see in Teresa Kok?
Sometimes I can be late for functions but not that late. It wouldn't be later than the Umno ministers. I think I have to learn to be more calm. Yesterday I met someone who offered to teach me Qigong to have clarity of mind. I think it's something that we need because we have a busy life so I would like to have time for myself. I would say that it's to improve myself, to reflect, to read and to write better. I think this is something that I haven't been doing very well that I hope to be able to improve on.
If you were born again, would you still like to be Teresa Kok?
Yes. It's interesting to be Teresa Kok, isn't it?
Teresa Kok: Humility makes her an effective legislator
SU HUI HSING is an intern with Malaysiakini . Comments can reach Rentakini by emailing [email protected]. Selected letters will be published.
