It was reported that there is one lamp post in Tuas on which stickers can be pasted legally (Cyclists cheer move to allow pasting of stickers on Tuas lamp post, Jan 8).

Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said an exception was made for this lamp post to brighten up life in Singapore. One cyclist said it is encouraging to see Mr Ong taking a light touch on this matter and saw it as a sign of a maturing society.

I view it in a different light. The person who first pasted the sticker on the lamp post was plainly acting irresponsibly.

This is not public art. Pasting stickers on the lamp post will turn the landmark into an eyesore.

Given the publicity the site has received, more people would be encouraged to paste more stickers on the lamp post. And it may not be just cyclists doing it.

Very soon, the lamp post will be covered with stickers and people will look for another place to leave their mark.

We do not want to have a situation in which people take this as a green light to do the same with other public property.

Technically, this deliberate act of defacement of public property is an act of vandalism. Such an act must stop immediately.

Some may see my suggestion as drastic, but if this misdemeanour persists, it may lead to more aggravated transgressions.

Donny Ho Boon Tiong

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-pasting-stickers-on-lamp-post-an-act-of-vandalism