Lim Yew Hock
Lim Yew Hock | |||||||||||
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林有福 | |||||||||||
 Lim at the 1956 constitutional talks in London | |||||||||||
| Chief Minister of Singapore | |||||||||||
| In office 8 June 1956 – 3 June 1959 | |||||||||||
| Monarch | Elizabeth II | ||||||||||
| Governor | Robert Black William Goode | ||||||||||
| Deputy | Abdul Hamid Jumat | ||||||||||
| Preceded by | David Marshall | ||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Office Abolished Lee Kuan Yew (Prime Minister of Singapore) | ||||||||||
| Leader of the Opposition | |||||||||||
| In office 1 July 1959 – 3 September 1963 | |||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Lee Kuan Yew | ||||||||||
| Preceded by | Lee Kuan Yew | ||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Lim Huan Boon | ||||||||||
| Chairman of the Singapore People's Alliance | |||||||||||
| In office 10 November 1958 – 3 September 1963 | |||||||||||
| Preceded by | Position established | ||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Vacant | ||||||||||
| Chairman of the Labour Front | |||||||||||
| In office March 1958 – November 1958 | |||||||||||
| Secretary-General | Francis Thomas | ||||||||||
| Preceded by | Chew Swee Kee | ||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Vacant | ||||||||||
| Chairman of the Labour Party | |||||||||||
| In office 1950–1952 | |||||||||||
| General Secretary | Peter Williams | ||||||||||
| Preceded by | Pat Johnson | ||||||||||
| Succeeded by | S. Reddi | ||||||||||
| Member of the Legislative Assembly for Cairnhill Constituency | |||||||||||
| In office 30 May 1959 – 3 September 1963 | |||||||||||
| Preceded by | Soh Ghee Soon | ||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Lim Kim San | ||||||||||
| Member of the Legislative Assembly for Havelock Constituency | |||||||||||
| In office 2 April 1955 – 31 March 1959 | |||||||||||
| Preceded by | Constituency established | ||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Low Por Tuck | ||||||||||
| Member of the Legislative Council for Keppel Constituency | |||||||||||
| In office 10 April 1951 – 5 February 1955 | |||||||||||
| Preceded by | Constituency established | ||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished | ||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||
| Born | Lim Yew Hock 15 October 1914 | ||||||||||
| Died | 30 November 1984 (aged 70) | ||||||||||
| Citizenship | Singapore (1957–1965) Malaysia (1963–1984) | ||||||||||
| Party | Singapore People's Alliance (1958–1963) | ||||||||||
Other political affiliations | Progressive Party (1947–1949) Labour Party (1949–1955) Labour Front (1955–1958) | ||||||||||
| Spouses | Chia Kim Neo
(m. 1937; div. 1968)
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| Children | 6; including Eulindra | ||||||||||
| Parents |
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| Alma mater | Raffles Institution | ||||||||||
| Profession | Politician - diplomat | ||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Chinese | 林有福 | ||||||||||
| Hokkien POJ | Lîm Iú-hok | ||||||||||
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alma_mater which should be merged with/replaced by education.Lim Yew Hock (Chinese: 林有福; pinyin: Lín Yǒufú; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lîm Iú-hok; 15 October 1914 – 30 November 1984) was a Singaporean and Malaysian politician and diplomat who served as Chief Minister of Singapore from 1956 to 1959. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Cairnhill between 1959 and 1963, and had earlier served as a member of the Legislative Council of Singapore and later the Legislative Assembly of Singapore from 1948 to 1959. Between 1959 and 1963, Lim was the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. Following Singapore's separation from Malaysia in 1965, Lim became less involved in Singaporean politics and moved to Malaya.
Educated at Raffles Institution, Lim began his career as a clerk before entering politics after World War II. He joined the Progressive Party in 1947. In 1949, alongside David Marshall, he co-founded the Labour Front (LF). The implementation of the Rendel Constitution in 1955, spurred by growing demands for self-governance, led to the first Legislative Assembly election. The LF emerged victorious, with Marshall becoming Chief Minister. Lim was appointed Minister for Labour and Welfare and served as Deputy Chief Minister during Marshall's tenure.
After the failure of the 1956 Merdeka Talks in London to achieve self-governance, Marshall resigned, and Lim succeeded him as Chief Minister. Determined to gain the trust of the British authorities, Lim took a strong stance against communist and leftist movements, including crackdowns on students and teachers from Chinese-medium schools accused of communist sympathies. He led an all-party delegation to London and secured an agreement for a new constitution that granted Singapore internal self-government in 1959. However, his actions alienated the Chinese-educated population and eroded support for his administration, boosting the popularity of the opposition People's Action Party (PAP) led by Lee Kuan Yew.
In the 1959 Singaporean general election, Lim's newly formed Singapore People's Alliance (SPA) was defeated by the PAP, prompting his resignation as Chief Minister. He remained in the Assembly until 1963 but played a diminished role in politics. Afterward, he was appointed High Commissioner of Malaysia to Australia by Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. Lim's legacy is marked by both political significance and mystery. While he played a pivotal role in securing self-governance for Singapore, his political career ended abruptly following his disappearance from public view in 1966 during his diplomatic posting to Australia. He later resurfaced as a Muslim convert living quietly in Saudi Arabia, where he died in 1984.