Lee Siew Choh 
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Dummipedia, the simplified free online encyclopedia
Lee Siew Choh (1917 - 2002) was a Singaporean medical doctor who spent most of his life in politics. The former Chairman of the Barisan Sosialis and the first Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NMP), he was noted for his pro-leftist stance oratory skills, setting the record for holding the longest speech ever in the Parliament of Singapore at seven hours and thirteen minutes [1] in 1961, opposing the proposed merger with Malaya.
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| Lee Chiew Choh 李绍祖 | |
| Born | Lee Siew Choh November 1, 1917 [1] Kuala Lumpur, Malaya |
| Died | July 18, 2002 (aged 84) Singapore Lung cancer |
| Nationality |  Singapore
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| Education | Degree in medicine |
| Occupation | Medical doctor and politician
One of the political leaders of the Barisan Sosialis, the other being Lim Chin Siong |
| Known for | Chairman of the Barisan Sosialis |
| Spouse | Kathleen Fam Yin Oi |
| Children | Lee Yew Chung (son; doctor) • Lee Yew Keong (son; dental surgeon) • Lee Yu Lian (daughter; lawyer) |
| Parents | Lee Fook Chuen and Yim Kam |
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2. Born in Kuala Lumpur in then British Malaya,[1] Lee enrolled at the King Edward VII College of Medicine in 1934 and upon graduation in 1942, he joined the Kandang Kerbau Hospital as a doctor. During the Japanese occupation of Singapore, he was sent to work as a medical officer for two years at the Thai-Burmese border where prisoners of war were building the Death Railway for the Japanese military. After the war in 1947, Lee set up his own medical practice, the International Dispensary, at Hill Street.
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3. In 1958, Lee was brought into the People's Action Party (PAP) by his chess partner, Goh Keng Swee,[1] and was elected Legislative Assemblyman for Queenstown in the 1959 general election. He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Home Affairs Minister the following year. In September 1961, however, Lee broke away from the PAP together with 13 other Legislative Assemblymen to form the Barisan Sosialis, due to differences over the proposed merger with Malaya, and became its founding chairman.[1] He was detained for allegedly participating in the City Hall riots in 1963 that triggered Operation Coldstore.[1] Lee led the party in the 1963 general election, winning 13 of the 51 seats, although he lost his Rochor seat to Toh Chin Chye by a mere 89 votes.[1] After Singapore's separation from Malaysia in 1965, he led the 13 Barisan Nasionalis' Members of Parliament to boycott the first Parliamentary session.[1] Subsequently, Lee again led his party to boycott the the 1968 general election.
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4. In 1988, Barisan Sosialis merged with the Workers' Party, and Lee stood as a candidate in the Eunos Group Representation Constituency, together with Mohd Khalit bin Mohd Baboo and Francis Seow, in the general election that year. On the campaign's opening day, he was forced to go to court and pay damages for comments he made about the PAP during the 1984 general election.[1] Losing by 1,279 votes,[1] Lee nevertheless entered the Singapore parliament as a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NMP) when he garnered the largest number of votes among the losers. (Under a constitutional amendment passed in 1984, the opposition was to be allotted three parliamentary seats, whether it won them or not.) He resigned from the Workers' Party and retired from politics in 1991.[1] Lee succumbed to lung cancer after suffering for three years and passed away in July 2002 at the age of 84.[1] His memoirs remain unpublished. more... at Wikipedia
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