It has only been weeks since the Fiji Roads Authority built new bus stops around the country – but the vandalism has started already.

It is a sorry sight and says a lot about the pride we Fijians have in our country. The bus stop is a popular public spot where people wait for buses and shield themselves from the rain and sun. The bright paint gives it an air of freshness and conviviality.

It is depressing to see the structures plastered with graffiti. This is an act of deranged minds who have no appreciation of cleanliness, beauty, order or peace.

Graffiti vandalism is a crime.  It involves the marking and defacing of premises or  property without permission.

Some offenders do it for fun for their own self gratification. Others claim they do it as an expression of art.

Whatever reason they give it is illegal and negatively affects individuals and the community. Graffiti vandalism not only affects individuals, it’s very costly to remove.

Tens of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars  have been used to provide this service to those who regularly commute in buses.

It is a shame that we are unable to maintain our bus stops. It is a shame that some are unable to refrain from defacing something which also beautifies our country. It would have been cheaper for Fiji Roads Authority to build timber and corrugated iron bus stops. But that would no doubt look shabby compared to the modern design bus stops.

Some Fijians complain about Fiji not having infrastructure of international standard but when we are unable to maintain a simple bus stop how can we demand for better services?

And this is just one issue. Everyone complains about the standard of our buses. But when bus companies invested millions of dollars and brought new buses, seats of some of the buses had been cut open and graffiti had been painted on the back of seats.

Even the most basic thing of asking people not to litter falls on deaf ears. We are still trashing our country.

Why are we so unpatriotic? We want the best service but are we worthy of it?

Just flying the Fijian flag when our 7s rugby boys win does not make us patriotic.

Doing the right things like taking care of our bus stops is true patriotism. It’s a waste of resources when we continue to repair and remove graffiti from the bus stops.

Anyone who has travelled to Japan or China will tell you that with millions of people living there, they still keep their public places clean and tidy. It’s in their psyche.

We need to instill in our people that it is wrong to spray paint graffiti on structures in public areas.

It is a shame that  we  have failed to do it.

JYOTI PRATIBHA

Feedback:  jyotip@fijisun.com.fj