Trade Fair Merchants' Association president Alan Toh has remarked that the building of new housing blocks and bus interchanges on open fields next to MRT stations has given rise to the problems of space and rent for many pasar malam operators and stall vendors ("Pasar malam theme park to save night markets?"; Oct 5).

I have noticed rapid development in many estates islandwide too, and it worries me to see our open spaces being taken away at such a rate.

It is crucial for Singapore to strike a balance between development and preservation.

Developing at the cost of our culture will not be sustainable in the long run.

If we have to commercialise our night market culture to preserve it, how much do we really value the authenticity of our culture and heritage as Singaporeans?

In order to save our night markets, we should focus more on the issue of preserving open spaces, not only for pasar malams, but also for other community purposes.

Marisa Lim Ching Yee (Miss)