I live in an opposition ward, which means there’s a strong chance my area will remain an opposition enclave. This north-east pocket of Singapore is home to many younger Singaporeans who, despite earning decent incomes and being able to afford at least two overseas holidays a year, often feel dissatisfied with the challenges they face.

This sense of discontent gives them reason to favour the WP over the PAP.

My secondary school teacher, 廖宝强, who sparked my love for the Chinese language, often spoke fondly of our school’s motto: 禮、義、廉、恥. While the phrase is traditionally used to guide personal conduct, it applies just as meaningfully to a nation.

When applied to a nation, 禮、義、廉、恥 are more than just personal virtues—they form the ethical foundations of governance, civic responsibility, and social harmony. As a slow learner, it took me nearly 30 years to grasp the true weight of this phrase.

Ironically, it was Trump who became the turning point in my thinking—he is the antithesis of 禮 (civility, propriety), 義 (righteousness, justice), 廉 (integrity, honesty), and 恥 (a sense of shame, moral conscience).

During the Northern Song dynasty, 欧阳修 prophesied that if a country has none of the four moral value, it will spell the end of the country.

“国有四维，一维绝则倾，二维绝则危，三维绝则覆，四维绝则灭。”

“A nation stands on four great pillars. Should one give way, the state begins to sway. Should two fall, peril looms. Should three collapse, the nation topples. But when all are lost—destruction is complete.”

- 北宋欧阳修在《新五代史·冯道传》

My hope for Singapore is that our politics never descend to the level of what we see in the U.S. However, during debates and rallies, party leaders often show a troubling tendency to engage in populism or take cheap shots—racing to the bottom rather than raising the standard of discourse.

Rallies often become platforms to stir emotions and sway the voting public. I can’t help but question whether that’s truly an honourable approach—after all, votes should be won through sound policies, not through rhetorical flair or emotional manipulation.

Between winning and losing, I believe staying true to one’s principles and values is the more meaningful choice. I’ve always felt that how you win is just as important as the victory itself. That’s why the character of our leaders—and the values they embody—matters so deeply. It reminds me of a phrase I’ve come to value, especially in uncertain times like these.

裴矩佞于隋而诤于唐

Pei Ju was sycophantic under the Sui, but remonstrative under the Tang.

-旧唐书·裴矩传

The story goes that during the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui (隋炀帝), Pei Ju rose to power by skilfully catering to the emperor’s desires, often promoting ambitious expansionist policies such as:

• Advocating for massive infrastructure projects like the Grand Canal

• Supporting military campaigns against Goguryeo (Korea) — which proved disastrous

• Offering exaggerated or overly optimistic reports to the emperor

Historians criticise him for encouraging the emperor’s delusions of grandeur and leading him to overextend the empire, contributing to the eventual downfall of the Sui Dynasty. His behaviour was labeled “佞” (níng) — flattery, obsequiousness, or being a “yes-man.”

After the Sui collapsed, Pei Ju submitted to Emperor Gaozu of Tang (唐高祖) and later served under Emperor Taizong of Tang (唐太宗). In this new regime, Pei Ju’s behavior changed notably:

• He became known for offering candid advice

• He was not afraid to remonstrate (speak honestly and warn against bad policies)

• He showed greater integrity in his service to the Tang

This earned him the label of “诤” (zhèng) — meaning an upright official who dares to speak truth to power.

To me, it’s a reminder that good leadership brings out the best in people. Just look at the differences in how people act around leaders like Trump—it tells its own story.

In Singapore, while the Workers’ Party may not form the government, they already play a key role as the main opposition. The outcome of each election doesn’t just decide who governs—it also reflects the kind of leadership Singaporeans value.

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Initially, I do not like the neighbourhood because it is busy and noisy. There is a primary school in every direction and every weekday morning, every crossing seems like a mad rush to school.

Soon, I have grown to love it. The bustle and hustle in the morning makes it a great neighbourhood to wake up to.

The Singapore public housing or commonly known as HDB is an odd mix where

• every race is carefully allowed and represented within each and every block

• a common lift access meant that there is ample chance to meet everyone in the block unless you work on odd hours

• a common corridor to really give you a chance to meet your neighbour

• the playground provide a place for every kid from every race will get to play with one another

• an exercise area where the more mature people will get to have some peace and quiet and

• a void deck1

The void deck is where everyone in the neighbourhood were “emancipated” from the their daily shackle of life.

• The day usually starts with a bunch of “aunties” practicing their latest dance moves.

• After school this is the place for kids above a certain age2 to bond over football

• For the girls on skate, they have a racing track which goes around the neighbourhood blocks before ending there.

• For the badminton champion wannabe, this is the place where they could have uninterrupted play till the late wee of the night

The space is also also used by the pre-school kindergarten for their annual celebration, the once a year Halloween scare and trick or treat, the year end Christmas party for the kids and the mandarin orange giving during the Chinese New Year.

For me, this happens to be also a space for grieving.

My grandma passed on the 2nd Jan 2025 and once again the void deck came into the play.

The prayers are held for 7 days at the void deck and I wrote a short letter to my neighbours.

“Dear Residents,

My name is Ong Wee Hiang.

I am currently holding my beloved grandmother's funeral at the Multi-Purpose Hall (MPH). The wake will conclude on the morning of 8th January. The funeral period is longer than usual (7 days) as we are awaiting the arrival of overseas relatives and guests in Singapore.

I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by the extended use of the MPH. I understand this may disrupt regular activities such as soccer practice, skating sessions, and dance gatherings. I deeply appreciate your understanding and patience during this time.

In addition to Buddhist rites, we will be conducting Taoist rites on the evening of 7th January (Tuesday). This will involve the burning of incense paper and offerings. For residents whose units face the exercise facilities, kindly keep your windows closed that evening to minimize any discomfort caused by smoke or odors.

Thank you for your kind understanding and support during this period.

Warm regards,

Ong Wee Hiang,

The morning I am penning this article, my Malay neighbour (the friendly muscle guy who says hi to everyone in the lift) dropped by to offer his condolences. A few more neighbours who lived on my floor and below me drop by too.

Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of Singapore often interferes in the private lives of Singaporeans, such as the language they spoke and the neighbours they have…

But this policy on mixing everyone ensures that every Singaporean has ample chance to see each race as a fellow human and allowing every busy Singaporean to have a chance to build friendship and goodwill.

Other than that the void deck has also become a contesting ground for politics. The political parties are also trying to make their presence felt during the funeral.

I guess the Void Deck is not so void after all.

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Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as President of the United States for the second time. While most investors are focused on tariffs and tax cuts, I thought it is a waste of time1. The certainty can be guaranteed, the severity and consequence is anyone guess. I would expect tariffs to be higher and tax cut to be lower. As Trump gets this tariff act going, every rise and fall of the stock price for many of the manufacturing-export companies from China has been attributed to the “leaks” of either higher or lower tariffs from Trump’s inner circle.

What I am more impressed with is the cease fire in Gaza. The deal was closed right before Trump got sworn in. Why now and not one week earlier or later?

While everyone would like to claim some form of credit, my belief is that the deal would not been possible if not for Trump’s chief negotiator. The Israelis obviously has Hamas on the run and there is no need to stop bombing when your enemy is losing and has no place to run. Israel stopped because Trump has given a ultimatum and Israel wanted that Trump’s friendship.

Trump instead will seek to expand the Abraham Accord by normalising ties between Israel and the Saudi Arabia. If that happens, Trump’s hope of going down in history through the securing of the Nobel prize will be partially complete. The Saudis are more interested in securing money for business and investment2 than to pick up a fight with the Israelis or the Iranian.

If Trump could get the Israelis and Hamas to talk, my guess is that Russia and Ukraine cannot be far behind? Ukraine is at the mercy of the western powers in terms of arms supply. Zelensky knows that Trump will be crazy enough to engage Putin unilaterally if he chose not to come to the table. Putin will most likely play ball3 with Trump. If Zelensky do not play ball, he will be not at the negotiating table for Ukraine.

Outcome is that Ukraine is going to sacrifice some territories, NATO is going to stay out of Ukraine and there will be some form of “peace” in that part of Europe.

If you are wondering where all these lead to…

This thesis could be one way to think about future oil prices. Commodity prices or any prices that is hard to come to a value to are usually based on sentiment4 and supply. Sentiment looks likely better, higher supply from Middle-east (minus Iran) with Russia also coming back online. That could be the inflation reducing act before the Tariffs tax on all the Americans.

I wonder if that is what the market is pricing in right now, a period of excess supply from all the producing parties. When no one in OPEC + is interested in limiting supply, the only possibility is a steady drop in price.

I am bearish on oil price but pretty neutral on oil and gas services. The reason is that there is minimal supply coming online for the services sector. But if oil prices crashes close to production cost, offshore is gone.

Positive on Malaysia oil and gas services as they seem to rest on Petronas willingness to spend heavily. The rest, I am not so sure.