Youth football coach

'We have lost a gem of a guy.'

MR PAUL ANTONY FERNANDEZ: 'I and many others who know the late Mr David Sivalingam, coach of the football team preparing for next year's Youth Olympic Games, will vouch that we have lost a gem of a guy who was a bagful of humility, patience and empathy. I got to know him during his playing days, not as a fellow player, but as a diehard football fan during the Malaysia Cup era. Despite his busy schedule, he still found time to volunteer as a traffic warden at Novena Church every Saturday. I hope that he will be remembered for his past and present contributions to the growth of soccer in Singapore. My sincere condolences and prayers go to his wife and children.'

Public transport

'Bus schedules need to be improved.'

MADAM WONG KIT MAY: 'I refer to the report, 'More cars, so public transport trips down' (Oct 27). Bus schedules need to be improved. Often, one has to wait a long time for a bus and then have two or even three buses with the same number arrive at the same time. On Oct 24, I was waiting for feeder service 292 at Tampines Street 11 for 35 to 40 minutes and none arrived. As I was late, I had to take a taxi and pay a peak-hour surcharge. On Oct 27, I was at the bus stop outside Eunos MRT station at 7.40am waiting for bus service 13. It did not arrive until after 8am and was very crowded. When I alighted at my destination four stops later, there was another service 13 right behind. I had to wait more than 20 minutes for a journey that took only five minutes. This is not acceptable.'

China maids

'There is an advantage in hiring a maid who speaks Mandarin.'

MR TAN CHEE YEAN: 'I have been employing maids since my wife gave birth to our daughter five years ago. We are constantly disturbed by the news of maids abusing their employers' children. Every family has its own set of problems that require different solutions, so the Government should allow people to decide for themselves which maids they are comfortable with. Among the options is to allow families to employ maids from China. Language is a barrier for my family and while Filipino maids speak English, there is an advantage as well in hiring a maid who speaks Mandarin.'