It is ironic that one of the nation's iconic projects, the National Stadium, requires organisers of community events and major sports competitions to go through a lengthy process of negotiations in order to use the venue ("No go for Merlion Cup"; Dec 25, 2015).

One would expect top priority to be given to events such as the Merlion Cup, in the interest of our nation.

The situation suggests that the Singapore Government's public-private partnership (PPP) with SportsHub Pte Ltd is not on an even keel. It seems like the public sector's needs have become secondary to that of the private sector's wants.

It would have been prudent to state, from the outset of the signing of the PPP, that priority over the use of the National Stadium should be given to national events and those that serve the interest of our nation.

George Pasqual