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

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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.

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