Would the Merlion make the best national Icon for Singapore?

Merlion combines "mer" meaning the sea and "lion". The fish body represents Singapore's origin as a fishing village when it was called Temasek, which means "sea town" in Javanese. The lion head represents Singapore's original name—Singapura—meaning "lion city".

The choice of the Merlion as a symbol for Singapore has its roots in history. The Merlion commemorates the ancient name and the legend taken from the "Malay Annals" explaining how Singapore received its present name.In ancient times, Singapore was known as Temasek, which is Javanese for the sea. It was then as it is today, a centre of trade.

Using the fish in its design alludes to the idea of Singapore as a port city and its dependence on maritime trade, especially in the days of Temasek, as Singapore was historically known prior to the arrival of the British colonisers. The lion is a reference to a tale narrated in theSejarah Melayu (Malay Annals), which describes how a prince from Palembang, Sang Nila Utama, reportedly encountered a lion when he first stepped on the shores of Temasek, leading him to rename the island Singapura (“lion city” in Sanskrit). 

National symbols intend to unite people by creating visual, verbal, or iconic representations of the national people, values, goals, or history.These symbols are often rallied around as part of celebrations of patriotism or aspiring nationalism (such as independence, autonomy or separation movements) and are designed to be inclusive and representative of all the people of the national community.I think the Merlion would make the best national icon for Singapore because it allows Singapore to remember our roots in history and teaches foreigners more about Singapore, especially when it was only a small fishing village in the past. Although it is something that has been dated so far back, I find that it can still unite the people up to this date because it represents the national values. There is so much to know about the Merlion, such as its unique physical features, its special name, and the great story behind the beautiful creature. It has become our marketing icon because of all its specialties and has become a national personification of Singapore, where we can better understand the tales and legends told in the past, as well as to be able to learn more about Singapore and how we got to where we are today. 

Even though the Malay Annals is only a fictional tale, I still think that the Merlion would make the best national icon for Singapore. In fact, I believe that it is easier to be accepted by others if the origin of the Merlion was a legend, because people would not have to be forced into believing something that they find unrealistic. Moreover, it is even more likely that they will be more interested in finding out more about Singapore and the interesting tale behind the origin of the merlion. 

There will definitely be people who share different perceptions of the Merlion. Tourists may find the Merlion an icon of Singapore, because it is something they will see when they come over to our country, and for Singaporeans, most would be proud of the Merlion. While there would definitely be some people who beg to differ, I do not think that they should affect how most people view the Merlion. The negative points of view should not mean that Merlion is not going to be the best national icon for Singapore, because we can never satisfy everyone. 

I believe that it will mean a lot to Singaporeans if the Merlion is indeed the best icon. We will be proud of Singapore because it represents us, and since most tourists visit Singapore's Merlion statue when they come over to our country, it will mean a lot more if it was made the best icon, so that more people would be more aware of this icon and may even attract more people to come to Singapore. 

In conclusion, I feel that the Merlion is the best national icon for Singapore because it can attract a lot more tourists over because it is a wonderful tourist attraction, and will also be the pride for Singaporeans, where they can officially call Merlion a part of their national pride.