Ballmer’s Catch-22

Damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t

SEATTLE

This is the sort of mis-timing that has dogged Mr Ballmer’s tenure: Always arriving a bit too late and overseeing a collapse of a promising lead. It happened with Internet search, with tablets, with mobile phones, with music players.

Mr Ballmer last week faced calls for his removal from Mr David Einhorn, a powerful Wall Street hedge fund manager famous for his early warnings about the weakness of doomed bank Lehman Brothers.

Though sources on the company’s board backed him, investors know that Mr Ballmer does not have a free pass just because he joined in 1980 as employee No 30.— Almost as soon as Mr Steve Ballmer (picture) took over as chief executive of Microsoft in January 2000, the stock crashed. It was not his fault the dotcom crash pulled every tech stock down with it, including the Seattle software empire that, the previous year, had been the world’s most valuable at US$612 billion (S$755 billion).

Spanish Secretary of State for

European Affairs Diego Lopez Garrido

 

HOE YEE N NIE

yeennie@mediacorp.com.sg

 

demand for flats

JOANNE CH AN

joannechan@mediacorp.com.sg

 

accidents on expressways

Letter from Peter Arnold

I refer to the report “The drive towards satellite-based ERP” (May 25).

Surely before spending more money on a satellite-based ERP system, we should make sure our existing expressways are operating at full capacity by reducing the number of accidents that cause jams and delays.

Insurance statistics show the majority of claims are a result of tailgating. Hence, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Traffic Police can reduce expressway accidents and jams by:

• Making tailgating an offence and enforcing the rule on the expressways by patrols and fines

• Ensuring the driving test emphasises the need to keep a safe distance between vehicles

• Developing an in-situ device (built-in to the new generation of ERP windscreen sensors) to alert drivers if they are too close to the vehicle in front considering the speed they are travelling at Many drivers opt to fit their cars with reversing sensors but proximity sensors to prevent tailgating would be a better investment.

Previously, the LTA had all commercial vehicles and taxis fitted with a speeding alert which consisted of a buzzer and a flashing light.

With the police motto of “Speed Kills”, it seems illogical to scrap this safety device, which must have cost a fortune to develop and fit. So, let us bring it back.

Apparently, it was difficult to prosecute drivers based on the flashing lights but no driver would want to draw attention to the fact that he is speeding if he knew that a regular police patrol would catch him.

• Marking chevrons on the expressways to guide motorists as to what is a safe distance between them and the vehicle in front.

The LTA was able to paint so many lane signs on the expressways for the Youth Olympic Games.

Surely, chevrons represent a better investment to minimise accidents and save lives.

Reducing accidents on expressways will save lives as well as increase their capacity.

Let us fix the present system before spending so much money on a new satellite ER P system.

Preserve rail station as

part of transport network

Letter from Kong Pih Shu

I would like to suggest that the railway station be preserved as what it is — a railway station.

Continue the rail services, perhaps as an extension of public transport, with stations plotted along the railway line. In the future, we could extend the line around Singapore, so visitors and locals alike can experience a rustic, “kampung-like” way of travelling to see the whole country.

The railway line can complement the MRT network, with coaches that blend modern and traditional elements. In order to make taking the train a great family activity, we can consider, for instance, incorporating dining experiences on board. With a railway line, one can also simply hop on and disembark at, say, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve Station and have a cup of coffee before venturing out to the reserve.

There are so many possibilities!

So, keep the current rail network intact. Has anyone visited the tracks accessible through Commonwealth as well as Bukit Timah? Visit them — though safety must be observed — during the evening. The place looks almost magical with the wild growth along the side of the tracks.

Walking on the tracks brings me back instantly to those carefree childhood days and even my young daughter has a special feeling for it. Just standing beside it, taking a deep breath and experiencing the quietness feels so surreal yet peaceful. Go when the sun comes out just after it rains:

The reflections of the light from the droplets on the grass turns the whole place into an almost Zen-like wonderland.

The railway station is part of Singapore’s soul and spirit. If destroyed in the name of progress, one will lose a part of oneself.

When historical places are made into “living” entities, they will hold a special place for us, giving us a sense of pride and respect or even making us feel connected to the grand scheme of things.

I hope that, before then, we will resist the urge to pave more roads. In the meantime, ERP and other measures to discourage usage are welcome, among them requirements on number of passengers during the peak hours.

Letter from Janos Rautonen

need real options

Letter from Daniel Koh Kah Soon

INTERESTINGLY, Dr Tan Cheng Bock has indicated his willingness to stand for election as the next President of Singapore. One of the reasons given is that he would like to see the election being contested and also that, as a President, he would like to be a uniting force for Singapore.

But as Mr Lim Boon Heng has observed in the report, “S’poreans might prefer a President ‘not so closely related’ to PAP” (May 30).

Mr Lim is right. Although Dr Tan has quit his membership in the PAP, he is still too closely associated with the ruling party.

If he were to stand for election against a candidate officially endorsed by the PAP, the electorate will not have any meaningful choice. The best scenario is for someone else like Mr Ngiam Tong Dow, a former Senior Permanent Secretary with a sharp and independent mind, to avail himself as a candidate.

Although Dr Tan has on a few occasions been an outspoken MP when he took a view contrary to that put forward by the Government, we need real options and not what may be perceived as cosmetic choice.

WHY  then the parties and politicians are ALL  OppOsIng    One anOther wIthOut  cOmIng tO  cOmmOn grOUnd    ? ? ? ? 

What is especially poignant is the point highlighted to raise parliamentary productivity, imploring elected representatives to dutifully carry out their responsibilities as parliamentarians.

lOwest  pOlitical salaries and costs  ? ? ? ?

SA IFULBAHRI ISMAIL

saifulbahri@mediacorp.com.sg

 

The survey showed that 61 per cent of Singaporeans are looking to change jobs in the period ahead.

healthcare and includes active ageing to help our seniors lead a meaningful life.

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong

PAP’s Tanjong Pagar GRC

team 1st to file GE expenses

BERLIN — Germany’s coalition government agreed yesterday to shut down all the country’s nuclear power plants by 2022, making it the first major industrialised nation in the last quarter century to announce plans to go nuclear-free.