Lim Yew Hock (Chinese: 林有福; pinyin: Lín Yǒufú; 15 October 1914 – 30 November 1984) was a Singaporean-born Malaysian[2][3] politician and diplomat who served as Chief Minister of Singapore between 1956 and 1959.

[3] Lim had planned to study law in the United Kingdom upon graduation, and was ready to sit for Cambridge entrance examinations.

Lim lived on selling charcoal, until the end of Japanese occupation and Singapore's revert to British rule in 1945, when he returned to Cold Storage as private secretary.

He resigned from Cold Storage and worked as full-time Secretary-General of the Singapore Clerical and Administrative Workers' Union (SCAWU).

[9] With his trade union background, Lim joined the newly formed Singaporean Progressive Party (PP) led by Tan Chye Cheng to start off his political career.

[4] The Commission subsequently submitted a report in February 1954 for major changes in constitutional law of Singapore, heading towards self-rule.

[21][22][23][24] The Hock Lee bus strikes turned into a riot in May 1955, killing four and injuring many, including two police officers who died.

[25] Soon after, Marshall led an all-party delegation with Governor Sir Robert Black to London, UK in March 1956, to negotiate with the British for self-rule in Singapore.

[9] After Lim succeeded as Chief Minister, his top priority was to achieve full self-governance for Singapore from the British Government.

[30] When Marshall led a delegation in March to May 1956 to negotiate talks with the British for self-rule, Black emphasised the priority of internal security issues,[12][14] while anti-colonialist LF was ineffective in suppression of the series of riots incited by the communists.

[32][33] Hundreds were arrested, including assemblymen Lim Chin Siong, Fong Swee Suan and Devan Nair, who were radicals from the opposition PAP.

[5] Under Lim's leadership, a delegation of representatives from various political parties headed to London in March 1957 to commence talks with the British for self-rule.

[26][34] They reached a consensus in April, while Lim signed a new constitutional agreement with Secretary of State for the Colonies Alan Lennox-Boyd on behalf of Singapore.

[37] In recognition of his performance, the University of Malaya conferred Lim the Honorary Doctor of Laws degree in September 1957,[9] while he was presented the rank of Seri Maharaja Mangku Negara (S.M.N) in August 1958 by Malaysian King Tuanku Abdul Rahman, therefore being granted the title of Tun.

[9] Lim had taken a friendlier approach to the Nanyang University prior to the creation of a self-ruling state in June 1959, in order to gain the support of the Chinese majority.

[38] Nanyang was the first university with Chinese as its main medium of instruction, which was funded and set up by Tan Lark Sye and other Singaporean businessmen with Fujian ancestry in 1953.

[40] During Marshall's rule, the-then Minister for Education Chew Swee Kee said in May 1956 that degrees conferred by Nanyang would not be recognised by the Government.

[38] The building of Nanyang's campus was completed in March 1958 and Sir William Goode, the-then Governor was invited to host the institute's opening ceremony.

[38] Lim, who did not want to lose support from the people and put his election campaign in danger, chose not to release the report immediately.

[44] There was a rapid decline in support for the Lim's LF due to several other factors: His government was not able to crack down the rapid growth of secret societies, and gang fights occurred frequently, resulting in the deterioration of law and order;[45] The lives of the people had not improved and there was no economic growth; The PAP exposed Chew Swee Kee, the then-Education Minister in early 1959 for being accused of accepting large sums of money.

[46] Conversely, under the leadership of Chairman Toh Chin Chye and Secretary-General Lee Kuan Yew, the PAP, then opposition, won the support of the people by accusing the LF as being the puppet of the British Government.

[3][7][43][51] In January 1964, the then-Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman appointed Lim as Malaysian High Commissioner in Australia.

There were also rumours that he patronised the Paradise Club in Kings Cross, New South Wales and Sandra Nelson, a 19-year-old stripper was his all-time favourite.

[43] Laus claimed that he met Lim in the Sydney streets and found him vomiting and in discomfort; he brought him back to his guesthouse to rest, only to realise several days later that he was whom the police was searching for.

[43] Nelson also spoke to the reporters in Australia; she stressed that she and Lim were just ordinary friends and that she was totally unaware of his whereabouts during his disappearance.

[53] Malaysian Parliament opposition members even invited her to Malaysia to answer queries about her relationship with Lim, which she declined; but she said that she could send a pile of photographs of her to them if they wanted.

[3][54] Shortly after, the Government abruptly revoked his title as Tun in late November of the same year, making his disappearance in Australia a bewildering mystery.

He then chose to convert to Islam and emigrated to Mecca, Saudi Arabia to start a new life and adopted an Islamic-sounding name, Haji Omar Lim Yew Hock.

[43][59] Despite having achieved full internal self-rule for Singapore, he lost the support of the people, handing over the post of Prime Minister to Lee.

[43] He eventually chose to lead a low-profile life in Saudi Arabia and was no longer involved in Singaporean nor Malaysian politics.