The practice of "choping", or reserving space, which ranges from putting packets of tissue paper on the table or hanging an umbrella on the seat in food centres, to standing in an empty space in a carpark to restrict others from parking, perhaps needs reining in.

It leads to aggression from aggrieved parties and now, even the elderly are getting into public brawls, resorting to violence to settle issues (Three elderly people arrested for brawl at temple getai event, Aug 11).

Is it not fair that those already there are accorded seats? Or, how fair is it that two persons occupy a table meant for four?

Is using bags and personal belongings to reserve seats acceptable when there are few available at a crowded event? And why should someone carrying hot food on a tray go searching for a place to eat, when there are empty seats that have been reserved by others who are still queueing for their food?

And reserving a table from noon to evening when an event starts surely stretches the privilege of reserving too far?

If we want to be a more gracious and sharing society, this practice of choping needs clearer definition and implementation.

The laissez-faire approach we are used to, with starkly different expectations of privileges, won't cut it any more. There are currently no enforceable rules on etiquette.

Those who are averse to sharing communal facilities as polite behaviour dictates must be persuaded by the law.

In fact, the hawker centres at Our Tampines Hub and Tiong Bahru Market have a set of house rules that include "don't chope seats". Things seem entirely civil there.

Yik Keng Yeong (Dr)