MRT gets new paint job!

Today i will be talking about the recent MRT vandal incident. The man was sentenced to caning and jail. Many people argue over whether the man deserved to be caned. As we all know, the caning is not the household type of caning, it is the torturous kind where people have the skin of their butts split each time it comes into contact with the cane. So the big question for all of us is that, did he really deserve the caning? In my opinion, he did not.

In my opinion, the graffiti was more like a work of art. It was interest and made the MRT look more interesting, instead of the usual boring plain colors. I think that if the government really felt that he needed to be punished, CWO or a fine would do just fine. People all want to express their feelings in different ways, and the man chose art as the way. As can be seen in our society, we are not given any space to put our creativity to use.

The government's stand is that all crimes cannot be left unpunished, and the man would get caning. But it was just some graffiti on the MRT, it isn't that big a deal. It does not endanger lives or anything. I think the government should look at the circumstances and punish accordingly. The results of the man's actions did make anyone unsatisfied what soever, and people even found it interesting. In this way, the graffiti was actually beneficial to the public. Imagine, you are tired after a day's work, and on the way back, you see a certain random graffiti on the MRT or taxi, it would somewhat lighten your mood, would it not? MM Lee says that if the man was not punished, they would have to "close shop". They still can punish him, just not so harshly. Many people fail to understand, including me, why the government just can't let this incident pass with a light punishment.

If they hope to make an impression on the man, caning is not the way. According to research, caning causes physical and mental scars, it also may instill anger in the person, spurring him on to commit the crime again, because of the humiliation and pain he suffered. This actually can backfire on the government. So i feel that the government should make decisions with more care, and not make decisions based on strict old traditions and rules. Times change, so do rules. Singapore needs a new look.