Today I wore a pink blouse and black skirt to the Parliament.
When I was about to enter into the chamber, a male reporter asked me whether I faced any “harassment” for wearing skirt up to knee into the Parliament. I said no. He said female reporters always faced queries and harassment from the Parliament guards when they wear this kind of dress to Parliament.
When I was delivering my budget speech in Dewan Rakyat, at the time when I was about to end my speech, YB Tiong King Sing, MP for Bintulu, suddenly stood up and made noise to the Speaker that I did not wear blazer or coat in the chamber.
I then rebutted him that this is not stated in the standing order. The Speaker who chaired the sitting at that time, Datuk Wan Junaidi, then chipped in and said this is not stated in the standing order and that BN Back Benchers can present a resolution and make a suggestion to the Parliament to fix dress code in the house.
I then blasted him and said he has nothing else to say, except looking at women’s dress. I said we are in the house and he supposed to look at the issues that I raised and not to look at what I wear.
I then reminded the Speaker that when he and I and the Parliament Select Commiittee on Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code went to New Zealand Parliament two years ago, we saw people wearing singlets and shorts into the Parliament and even sat at the gallery.
I said I don’t understand why our Parliament security guards like to watch out at what women wear in the Parliament house whereas Parliament in other parts of the world do not practise this.
To my surprise, Wan Junaidi agreed and he expressed his views on this matter too. He said he has seen people wear T shirts enter into the Parliament in US Congress and other Parliaments.
When I walked out of the Dewan Rakyat chamber, many photographers surrounded me and took photos of me, and I was surrounded by reporters wanting comments over the issue.
Oh no, I spent a few hours to write my speech, but it looks like what will appear in the press tomorrow is our squabbles over my clothing and not the content of my speech 🙁
In a landmark ruling by the then NZ Parliament Speaker some years ago, MPs are also allowed to knit in the chamber.
Hi YB T.
Nothing wrong… not only with your blouse, but also with what you do and say. At this very moment, be XXXtra careful in doing and be XXXXXXtra tactful in speech.
Your budget speech is a good one. No wasted efforts. Just that some people prefer soft news more.
Dear A T K
Please voice my opinion in parliament..
Every Barisan and UMNO MPs who only make an issue of dresses in Parliament, are the most USELESS wakil rakyat even been elected and I am sure their supporters are crying all night regretting their votes…
These are the brainless idiot who enters parliament because of their Ketuanan previleges…
And they are not contributing anything to solving the taxpayers woes in this bad economic times..
Tell them, people like me are suffering from low value incomes due to rising cost…
and host of other problems… but these BN ybs only care for themselves…
that is proven by the useless and brainless issues they are raising thus wasting Malaysian time and money…
Jeez the BNBB’s are really a bunch of zeros. Nothing better to do. They are all so doomed. Soon their “bench” will be under a tree in a park somewhere 😉
Ignore them YB.
You look great!
Teresa, you not only look great but your work is great too.
Our country won’t be in deep shit if not for the no brainers who are supposed to be ruling (ruining?) this country.
It’s surprisning scums like these can get sufficient votes to put them in Parliament in the first place!
This ass Tiong is still having difficulty to discard his ‘Taiwan adventure’, after having engaged his eyes with the ALISAN de nushi (hill tribe lady). Very dangerous to send wild men on a agriculture trip.
this is wat rejim racist umno/bn good at !
– polis repot abt teresa ‘insulting eggs’
– bath d keris with chinese blood
– TDM buat jambatan s’por’ : Ya sokong ! tapi Pak Lah
tak buat pula : Ya sokong juga! all r YES-MAN je…
– ISA is for Tan ‘safety protection’ ! my foot !
– ISA 4 Teresa base on polis Utusan repot !
– Hindraf ‘cereboh’ Raya open hse @ PWTC? y it’s not
@ DSAI raya open hse?
& d list goes on…..
hey YB Tiong,
d nation is having a financial & economy crisis, u r good @ complaining Teresa not wearing a blazer?
hey… Tiong, ur money ‘korek’ fr $4.6bil PKFZ under ur KDSB dah habis? wat’s ur nex ‘korek projet’, huh?
will it b ‘projet agro hi tech-korek’ fr taiwan?
kakaka……
YB, since you are seeking explanations from them on the ‘injustices’ done, they are ‘cross examining’ you when you stand to speak. Ha ha ha.
Anyway, good speech, bravo!
Yang Berhormat is not only decently dressed but also very smartly and beautifully dressed! If the MP for Bintulu sees it otherwise, then I think he should see and consult an ophthalmologist to check his eyesight! Don’t always allow him to see things his way and comment on petty and trifle matters. There are more important matters to attend to!
There’s nothing wrong with your dress, YB. It’s the BN backbencher that’s the problem. Methinks he’s so obsessed with what females wear than the actual issues in Parliament. A disgrace to his constituency and the sanctity of the August house. For the life of me, I just can’t seem to understand why BN backbenchers always harp on trivial issues instead of the more important & crucial ones like the global financial crisis?
Ah, now I get it. They have small brains. Blood is concentrated at the lower portion of their body due to lack of exercise and minimal activity of the brain.
As always, the important matters get less attention compared to this so called sensational ones like this dress issue.
The sooner we boot them out of government the better.
A worldwide recession is on its way, and we are busy debating dressing codes?
The fellow comments above does bring a person to ponder what actual parliment session to discuss about. We the people select the Members of the Parlimen to enhance the economical development and nation betterment and improvement, rather we have certain party with not intellectual capability discussing a provocative dress a personal opinion being brought out as a major debat.
We bet as Malaysian we MUST have elected the wrong MP to seat in the Parliment and voice out the people woes and problems.
The primary discussion of the present standing will be on:
1) Matters of economical restructuring and presenting of creation of jobs in this current volitile situation.
2) Evoking investors and foreigners to pump in more resources and looking to Malaysia as a viable heaven for investment and trading place.
3) Look into the fundamental goods price index and other variables (include oil and food prices)control from recession.
4)Control of racial biasness and religion difference
5)Press freedom and abuses.
6)ISA resolution and prisoners under this act.
7)Many more social and societal problems that prevent the economy of Malaysia from being bull run.
PARLIMEN IS FOR THE PEOPLE and is govern as for the nation to gather to discuss the problems and convey resolution as to solve prolem
YB Tiong King Sing, MP for Bintulu.please be more rational thinking due of modernization era. As cited” BN Back Bencher’s can’t present a resolution and make a suggestion to the Parliament to fix dress code in the house” so please bear in mine ,what the position you are if not “keep skin”(Pronunciation in mandarin).
I is shame with you that insulting all the female included my sister, mum and other office lady, therefore please behave yourself to be respected by others and think about your closed member’s as i believe that also have female’s.
YB Tiong king sing should more smart,attached brain and educated as you are representing the all RAKYAT Bintulu don wasted the money travel from Bintulu to parliament do you think all the RAKYAT is GOON???
At the last, TERASA KOK dress is standard all the world.
Yb Tiong do you agree with me ? or please correct me because i knew that you will surfing TERASA KOK Blog.
The fellow comments above do bring a person to ponder what actual parliament session to discuss about. We the people select the Members of the Parliament to enhance the economical development and nation betterment and improvement, rather we have certain party with not intellectual capability discussing a provocative dress a personal opinion being brought out as a major debate.
We bet as Malaysian we MUST have elected the wrong MP to seat in the Parliament and voice out the people woes and problems.
The primary discussion of the present standing will be on:
1) Matters of economical restructuring and presenting of creation of jobs in this current volatile situation.
2) Evoking investors and foreigners to pump in more resources and looking to Malaysia as a viable heaven for investment and trading place.
3) Look into the fundamental goods price index and other variables (include oil and food prices) control from recession.
4) Control of racial biasness and religion difference
5) Press freedom and abuses.
6) ISA resolution and prisoners under this act.
7) Many more social and societal problems that prevent the economy of Malaysia from being bull run.
PARLIMEN IS FOR THE PEOPLE and is govern as a place for the nation to gather to discuss the problems and convey resolution as to solve problem. We don’t need a representative to be in the place for discussing and throw abuses on personal grounds. But rather for the PEOPLE to the PEOPLE and we believe this is the fundamental basis of the word of freedom “Democracy”, itself.
Democracy will prevail in the presence of the people, so it one cannot stay focus as a politician for the people then one shall relinquish his honorable position and resort back to basic of structuring handling people in the book of “Fundamental of Democratic belief it principals and application”.
We truly need a democracy principle even right inside our head before we are able to represent the nation as a whole.
Yang Berhormat is not only decently dressed but also very smartly and beautifully dressed! If the MP for Bintulu sees it otherwise, then I think he should see and consult an ophthalmologist to check his eyesight! – KFTANG
These people should see a psychiatrist, not an ophthalmologist!
They belong to a Mad House, not the House of Parliament!!!!
ham sap ham sap ham sap
In offices all over Malaysia, ladies dress even less but that does not turn the country into a disrespectful place
YB you look ok, covered up to neck and wrist, what’s the problem?
YB Teresa,
This retard of an MP is an embarrassment to our beloved country. The best treatment for this frigging IDIOT is to ignore him.