Yeoh Ghim Seng

Yeoh Ghim Seng BBM JP
杨锦成
3rd Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore
In office 27 January 1970 – 17 August 1988
Deputy	Tang See Chim Hwang Soo Jin Tan Soo Khoon
Preceded by	Punch Coomaraswamy
Succeeded by	Tan Soo Khoon
Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore
In office 11 July 1968 – 26 January 1970
Preceded by	Punch Coomaraswamy
Succeeded by	Tang See Chim
President of Singapore
Acting
In office 31 March 1985 – 2 September 1985
In office 12 May 1981 – 23 October 1981
In office 23 November 1970 – 2 January 1971
Member of Parliament for Joo Chiat SMC
In office 2 November 1966 – 17 August 1988
Preceded by	Fong Kim Heng
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born	(1918-06-22)22 June 1918 Ipoh, Perak, British Malaya
Died	3 June 1993(1993-06-03) (aged 74) Singapore
Cause of death	Lung cancer
Resting place	Mount Vernon Crematorium
Nationality	Singaporean
Political party	People's Action Party
Education	University of Cambridge
Profession	Surgeon

Yeoh Ghim Seng BBM JP (Chinese: 杨锦成; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Iôⁿ Gím-sêng; pinyin: Yáng Jǐnchéng) was a Singaporean politician who served as Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore between 1970 and 1988.

He is one of the longest-serving speakers of any parliament in the world.^[1][2] Yeoh served briefly as the acting president of Singapore between the death of Yusof Ishak on 23 November 1970^[3] and the inauguration of President Benjamin Sheares on 2 January 1971.

Yeoh was born on 22 June 1918 in Ipoh.^[4] He received his early education at St. Michael's Institution and at Penang Free School.^[5] Yeoh studied medicine at the Cambridge University, England in the 1940s and was attached to hospitals in England. He became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1950.^[4]

In 1951, Yeoh left England for Singapore to become consultant surgeon to the Singapore General Hospital.^[4] In 1955, he was appointed professor of surgery at the University of Malaya.^[4] He resigned the chair in 1962 to set up his private practice, but continued to train medical graduates from the university.^[4] A six-footer, Yeoh was described once as "the biggest but fastest Asian surgeon".^[4]

In 1966, Yeoh was recruited by the People's Action Party to stand in the Joo Chiat by-elections. The by-elections was uncontested and he was elected with a walkover. He would be the constituency's Member of Parliament for 22 years.^[6]

In 1968, Yeoh was appointed deputy speaker and elected speaker two years later.^[4]

When President of Singapore Yusof Ishak died on 23 November 1970 due to heart failure,^[7][8] Yeoh became the acting President, per the duties of the speaker, the following day.^[9]

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".^[4] As speaker, Yeoh's residence was the Command House.^{[10] [11]}

In 1977, he also became the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization's (AIPO) first president.^[12]

Yeoh retired from politics in 1988.^[2]

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.

Yeoh's wife, Winnie Khong, was also from Ipoh, and they married in 1941 while both were studying in England.^[13]

Yeoh died on 3 June 1993 of lung cancer at the Singapore General Hospital.^[14] He had five daughters and 15 grandchildren.^[14]

In 1993, the National University of Singapore created the Yeoh Ghim Seng Professorship in Surgery in his honour.^[15]