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 and such other national symbols as the national ensign for civilian ships.
The supporters of the shield are a lion and a tiger: the tiger symbolises the nation's historical and close connections to Malaysia (which Singapore was a state of from 1963 to 1965) while the lion represents Singapore itself [REF].