5⃣Would the Merlion make the best national icon for Singapore?

Yes, I think that the Merlion would make the best national icon for Singapore.

The Merlion is a mythical creature with a lion’s head and a fish’s body. "Merlion" can be seperated into 2 words- "mer" and "lion". 

"Mer" means "sea" in Javanese, which refers to Singapore's roots as the ancient fishing village, which was Temasek. "Lion" refers to a folktale about Prince Sang Nila Utama, who rediscovered Singapore. While searching a suitable place for a new city, he spotted Temasek from afar and decided to visit it. Unfortunately, his ship was caught in a terrible storm on the way. When he finally arrived at Temasek, the first animal he saw was the lion, which he believed to be a good omen- a sign of good fortune coming his way. Thus, he decided to build his new city in Temasek, and renamed it "Singapura" which means "lion(singa) city(pura)" in Malay.

National icons intend to unite people by creating visual, verbal, or iconic representations of the national people, values, goals, or history. The Merlion is the personification of Singapore's history as an important seaport. The original statue was built at the mouth of the Singapore River, which marks where the immigrants first landed. It is unique only to Singapore and is a Singapore icon attracting visitors from all around the world. 

However, there are others who would disagree that the Merlion is the best national icon. They argue that others tourist icons such as Changi Airport, Garden by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands etc are more prominent than the Merlion, and should be the best national icon. While Singapore is famous for many things, I think that they do not truly reflect on what Singapore is. The Merlion represents Singapore's humble origins. It is not only just a monument, it reminds both tourists and Singaporeans of how we started out as a sleepy fishing village to becoming a metropolis.