National Loyalty Week (NLW) was held during the week of 3 December 1959, exactly six months after Singapore attained self-governing status within the British Commonwealth. NLW’s aim was to encourage and foster a sense of loyalty amongst Singapore’s ethnically diverse citizens to the new state. It saw the inauguration of key national symbols including the state flag, national anthem and state crest, as well as the installation of Inche Yusof bin Ishak as the first Yang di-Pertuan Negara (Head of State) of Singapore.
