Yeoh Ghim Seng ( zh, s=杨锦成, poj=Iôⁿ Gím-sêng, p=Yáng Jǐnchéng, first=s,poj,p) was a Singaporean politician who served as
Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore
The speaker of the Parliament of Singapore is the presiding officer of the Parliament of Singapore. The speaker is nominated by the prime minister before being appointed by the Parliament. The speaker is also second in the presidential lin ...
between 1970 and 1989.
He is one of the longest-serving speakers of any parliament in the world. Yeoh served briefly as the acting
president of Singapore
The president of Singapore is the head of state of the Republic of Singapore. The role of the president is to safeguard the reserves and the integrity of the public service. The presidency is largely ceremonial, with the Cabinet led by the prime ...
between the death of
Yusof Ishak
Yusof bin Ishak (12 August 191023 November 1970) was a Singaporean politician and journalist who served as the first president of Singapore from 1965 until his death in 1970.
Prior to becoming head of state, Yusof was a well-known journalis ...
on 23 November 1970 and the inauguration of President
Benjamin Sheares on 2 January 1971.
Early life
Yeoh received his early education at
St. Michael's Institution in his hometown of
Ipoh (in
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
) and at
Penang Free School. He studied medicine at
Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...
in the 1940s and was on attachment to hospitals there before becoming a
fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of the
Royal College of Surgeons of England
The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgical care for patients, and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wales. T ...
in 1950.
Career
In 1951, Yeoh returned to
Malaya to become consultant surgeon to the
Singapore General Hospital
Singapore General Hospital (SGH) is an academic health science centre and tertiary referral hospital in Singapore. It is located next to the Bukit Merah and Chinatown districts of the Central Region, close to the Outram Community Hospital (OC ...
. When he was appointed professor of surgery at the then
University of Malaya
The University of Malaya ( ms, Universiti Malaya, UM; abbreviated as UM or informally the Malayan University) is a public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest and highest ranking Malaysian institution of highe ...
in 1955, he was one of the first locals to hold that chair. He resigned the chair in 1962 to set up what became a lucrative private practice, but continued to train medical graduates from the university. A six-footer, Yeoh was described once as "the biggest but fastest Asian surgeon".
Yeoh's political career began in 1966 when he was recruited by the
People's Action Party
The People's Action Party (abbreviation: PAP) is a major conservative centre-right political party in Singapore and is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the opposition Workers' Party (WP) and ...
to stand in a by-election in
Joo Chiat
Joo Chiat Road is an arterial road and a residential conservation area in the eastern part of Singapore, and is located between Geylang Serai and Marine Parade Road.
It is mainly bounded by conserved shophouses that are colourfully painted on b ...
. He won by a
walkover
John_Carpenter_was_disqualified,_prompting_his_teammates_John_Taylor_(athlete).html" ;"title="John_Carpenter_(athlete).html" "title="Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres">men's 400 metres running in a walkover. Americ ...
and served as the constituency's
MP for 22 years.
His preoccupation with medicine precluded a ministerial appointment; instead, he was made deputy speaker in 1968, and elected speaker two years later. In 1977, minister of law, environment, science and technology,
E. W. Barker, congratulating him on his re-election to yet another term as speaker, said that if not for Yeoh's commitment to surgery, he "could with ease and distinction occupy one of the front benches on this side of the House". As speaker, Yeoh's residence was the
Command House.
In 1977, he also became the
ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization's (AIPO) first president.
Awards and honour
Yeoh was a Public Service Star (B.B.M.) recipient, an active
Rotarian, and a
justice of the peace who also served as chairman of various boards including the Detainees' Aftercare Association and the University of Singapore Council.
In 1993, the
National University of Singapore created the Yeoh Ghim Seng Professorship in Surgery in his honour.
Death
Yeoh died on 3 June 1993 of
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...
at the Singapore General Hospital.
He was survived by his wife, five daughters and 15 grandchildren.
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yeoh Ghim, Seng
1918 births
Singaporean people of Hokkien descent
Singaporean people of Chinese descent
1993 deaths
Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons
People's Action Party politicians
Speakers of the Parliament of Singapore
Presidents of Singapore