Merchant vessels and pleasure craft fly a civil ensign of red charged in white with a variant of the crescent and stars emblem in the centre.

[3] The Settlement of Singapore had no separate flag, although the city was granted a coat of arms which featured a lion in 1911.

[15] When presenting the motion to the Legislative Assembly of Singapore on 11 November 1959, Sinnathamby Rajaratnam, the Minister for Culture, stated: "National flags, crest and anthem express symbolically the hopes and ideals of a people...

"[16] In September 1962, the people of Singapore voted for merger with Malaya, Sarawak, and North Borneo to form Malaysia.

The process was completed on 16 September 1963, when the Malaysian flag was hoisted on Singapore by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

[24] According to guidelines published by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA), the flag may be reproduced in any size and displayed at all times, but it must be in its specified proportions and colours.

[28] It was an offence to knowingly contravene specified provisions of the Singapore Arms and Flag and National Anthem Rules; the penalty was a fine not exceeding S$1,000.

[2] The government may ask for the flag to be lowered to half-mast in the event of the death of an important person or for national mourning.

Any worn out or damaged flag should be packed into a sealed black trash bag before being disposed of and not left visible in dustbins.

[2][27] The flag was originally exclusively used on or in front of buildings owned by the government, ministries, statutory boards and educational institutions on a year-round basis.

[32] These restrictions on individuals and non-governmental organisations were relaxed in 2004 to allow the flag to be flown year-round under certain conditions.

No rationale was provided for the changes, although BBC News correspondents noted that the government had recently been trying to rally patriotic sentiment dampened by economic issues.

MICA permitted the display of the flag on vehicles and on themselves or belongings with minimal restrictions, from the middle of July to the end of August for a trial period.

[44] The Singapore Government makes announcements regarding the lowering of the flag to half-mast in the event of a death of an important personage or mourning affecting the nation.

In January 2003, Singaporean artist Justin Lee Chee Kong was prevented by the Media Development Authority (MDA) from exhibiting a painting entitled Double Happiness— A Fantasy in Red, which consisted of the flag with red Chinese characters for double happiness on it.

Lee reported that the work was simply a display of one's love for their country and an expression of joy at Singapore's success, and in a press statement, he asked that the piece be "treated as an artistic and complimentary interpretation of a national icon".

He also complained about double standards as a Chinese artist, Gu Wen Da, had recently exhibited a national flag made of hair at the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay.

[54] In August 2007, a Singaporean pub, Loof, sent an email[55] to at least 1,500 members on its mailing list featuring a close-up shot of the crotch of a female model wearing a red swimsuit or pair of underpants bearing the crescent and five stars.

MICA eventually stated that the advertisement did not breach the law as it did not fully incorporate the flag's design, with the red and white background being left out.

"[56] During the 2010 Asian Games held in China, the Singaporean men's water polo team's swim trunks came under controversy for inappropriately displaying the crescent moon positioned in the centre of the brief, directly over the crotch area.

The team was unable to modify the design further as competition rules did not permit the changing of a uniform midway through the Games.

Outside of the Istana setting, the presidential standard plays a key ceremonial role at military parades within Singapore.

At the annual National Day Parade and SAF Day Parade, as part of the presidential salute, the standard is unfurled using a 'quick release knot' from the top of a flagpole upon the command of 'present arms' (playing of the national anthem) signifying the arrival of the President at the event.