Coat of arms of Singapore
Encyclopedia
The coat of arms of Singapore was adopted in 1959, the year Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

 became self-governing within the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

. The committee that created it, headed by then Deputy Prime Minister Toh Chin Chye
Toh Chin Chye
Toh Chin Chye is a prominent first generation political leader in Singapore. He completed his Secondary education in St. George's Institution and continued his studies at Raffles College and the University of London. Subsequently, Toh received his PhD at the National Institute for Medical...

, was also responsible for the national flag
Flag of Singapore
The national flag of Singapore was first adopted in 1959, the year Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire. It was reconfirmed as the national flag when the Republic gained independence on 9 August 1965...

 and the national anthem
Majulah Singapura
Majulah Singapura is the national anthem of Singapore. Composed by Zubir Said in 1958 as a theme song for official functions of the City Council of Singapore, the song was selected in 1959 as the island's anthem when it attained self-government. Upon full independence in 1965, Majulah Singapura...

. At the centre of the emblem is a red shield bearing a white crescent and five white stars (representing various national ideals including multiculturalism), supported by a lion
Asiatic Lion
The Asiatic lion also known as the Indian lion, Persian lion and Eurasian Lion is a subspecies of lion. The only place in the wild where the lion is found is in the Gir Forest of Gujarat, India...

 and a tiger
Malayan Tiger
The Malayan tiger is a tiger subspecies that inhabits the southern and central parts of the Malay Peninsula and has been classified as endangered by IUCN in 2008 as the population was estimated at 493 to 1,480 adult individuals in 2003; none of the three subpopulations likely harbors more than 250...

 (representing Singapore and Malaysia respectively); below them is a blue ribbon inscribed with Majulah Singapura
Majulah Singapura
Majulah Singapura is the national anthem of Singapore. Composed by Zubir Said in 1958 as a theme song for official functions of the City Council of Singapore, the song was selected in 1959 as the island's anthem when it attained self-government. Upon full independence in 1965, Majulah Singapura...

in gold, Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...

 for "Onward Singapore". While the use of the coat of arms is restricted to the government, the symbol enjoys wide use on the national currency
Singapore dollar
The Singapore dollar or Dollar is the official currency of Singapore. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively S$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...

 and state decorations, and appears on the cover of the national passport
Singapore passport
The Singaporean passport is a travel document issued to the citizens of Singapore. It is issued by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore...

.

History

When Singapore became self-governing in 1959 Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH is a Singaporean statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades...

 determined to create for the new state a coat of arms, among other symbols, to replace the coat of arms of the United Kingdom
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. These arms are used by the Queen in her official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom, and are officially known as her Arms of Dominion...

 that had been in use until then. A committee was formed to design the state symbols, headed by the deputy prime minister Toh Chin Chye
Toh Chin Chye
Toh Chin Chye is a prominent first generation political leader in Singapore. He completed his Secondary education in St. George's Institution and continued his studies at Raffles College and the University of London. Subsequently, Toh received his PhD at the National Institute for Medical...

, who wanted both the arms and flag of Singapore to represent the country's united, multi-ethnic society. The coat of arms and the flag were created over a span of two months by Toh and his committee. A law establishing the state symbols of Singapore was presented to the National Assembly by the Minister of Culture, S Rajaratnam, and approved in November 1959. On 3 December 1959, the state coat of arms, flag and anthem were presented to the people of Singapore for the first time.

Toh said in a 1989 interview that when tasked with the creation of the state symbols, "apart from the anthem we have to produce the flag and the crest", and he felt that the new flag of Singapore should be flying next to the Union Jack. Toh further stated about the design:

Symbolism

The central emblem of the coat of arms is a red shield with five white stars resting above a white crescent, similar to the crescent and stars used on the Singapore flag
Flag of Singapore
The national flag of Singapore was first adopted in 1959, the year Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire. It was reconfirmed as the national flag when the Republic gained independence on 9 August 1965...

 and such other national symbols as the national ensign for civilian ships
Red Ensign of Singapore
The Red Ensign of Singapore is a civil ensign used by privately-owned, non-military ships that are registered in Singapore. The overall design of the ensign is a modification of the national flag, with the ratio of the width to the length extended to 1:2. The ensign was created by law in 1966. The...

. Red symbolises "universal brotherhood and equality of man" and white "pervading and everlasting purity and virtue". The crescent "represents a young nation on the ascendant", while the stars "stand for the nation's ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality". The supporters of the shield are a lion and a tiger: the tiger symbolises the historical connections to Malaysia while the lion represents Singapore itself. Below the supporters is a blue ribbon on which the national motto, Majulah Singapura, is written in gold. Majulah Singapura is Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...

 for "Onward Singapore", and is the title of the national anthem
Majulah Singapura
Majulah Singapura is the national anthem of Singapore. Composed by Zubir Said in 1958 as a theme song for official functions of the City Council of Singapore, the song was selected in 1959 as the island's anthem when it attained self-government. Upon full independence in 1965, Majulah Singapura...

.

Uses

In 1985 the Monetary Authority of Singapore
Monetary Authority of Singapore
The Monetary Authority of Singapore is Singapore's central bank and financial regulatory authority...

 (MAS) began to issue their second series of coins. The coat of arms is displayed on the reverse side of these coins, surrounded by an inscription comprising the name of Singapore in the four official languages (Chinese, Malay, Tamil and English) and the year of minting. In 1987 the dollar coin entered circulation with this same pattern. According to the MAS, the coat of arms has also appeared on all Singaporean banknotes since the "Orchid" series of 1967. State decorations of Singapore also depict the coat of arms on the medallions. For example, the medallions of the Darjah Utama Temasek and the Sijil Kemuliaan
Sijil Kemuliaan
The Sijil Kemuliaan is a Singaporean award instituted in 1962.The Certificate of Honour consists of a scroll bearing the State Arms and the signature and seal of the President...

 use the full achievement of arms, while the Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang
Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang
The Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang was instituted in 1968. It is awarded to any person who has performed within Singapore any act or series of acts constituting distinguished conduct...

 medal displays the shield.

Guidelines

According to the Singapore Arms and Flag and National Anthem Rules, the use of the coat of arms is restricted to the government. Without explicit permission from the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts
Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts
The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts is a ministry of the Government of Singapore...

 (MICA), no person or group is permitted to physically print, manufacture, display or sell anything depicting the coat of arms, or to allow such actions to happen. It is also forbidden to use any symbol that can be easily mistaken for the coat of arms. Persons who wish to use the coat of arms in a literary work must also obtain prior permission from MICA. The only exception provided by the Rules is that the arms can be used by government officials and ministries on their building's exteriors and on printed documents.

See also


External links

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