Contrary to WP’s strategy of “wu wei”, Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) or Barisan Sosialis (BS) in the 1960s, are fighters who want to voice out their views, regardless of personal sacrifice, sometimes even against the authority. Once they believe they are doing good things for the people, they will go ahead to do it. Just like the Mohists who are wiling to give up their lives for the good of the people. SDP even recognises that there are other means besides parliament to voice their views.
It is no wonder SDP is the most aggressive party in the net. (Mohism followers are usually poor and lack of resources, this is why they have to depend on their two legs to do the hard walking. Internet is a cheaper communication tool as compared to others). Their website is updated regularly and they have come out with an alternative budget even thought you may not agree with them. They also manage to recruit new young faces in their web broadcasting.
Many historians agree that it is Fa Jia (Legalism) that helps to build a strong Qin and finally united the whole China. In fact, in the beginning of strong Qin, Mohisim followers had helped Qin to establish a strong foundation, through their military discipline by destroying Qin opponents. A little bit like the situation in the 1950s and early days of 1960s Singapore.
People who join SDP know that it is not easy for them to get elected as they are considered as a group of “anti-establishment trouble makers”. However, they continue to fight on. Although Mohism lost its importance in Chinese history, its spirit of never give up remains as part of Chinese traditions.
Standard Encyclopaedia of Philosophy (www.plato.standard.edu) explains Mohism as follows:
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Mohism was an influential philosophical, social, and religious movement that flourished during the Warring States era (479–221 BCE) in ancient China. Mohism originates in the teachings of Mo Di, or “Mozi” (“Master Mo,” fl. ca. 430 BCE), from whom it takes its name. Mozi and his followers initiated philosophical argumentation and debate in China. They were the first in the tradition to engage, like Socrates in ancient Greece, in an explicit, reflective search for objective moral standards and to give step-by-step, tightly reasoned arguments for their views, though their reasoning is sometimes simplistic or rests on doubtful assumptions.
They formulated China's first explicit ethical and political theories and advanced the world's earliest form of consequentialism, a remarkably sophisticated version based on a plurality of intrinsic goods taken as constitutive of human welfare. The Mohists applied a pragmatic, non-representational theory of language and knowledge and developed a rudimentary theory of analogical argumentation. They played a key role in articulating and shaping many of the central concepts, assumptions, and issues of classical Chinese philosophical discourse.
A later branch of the school (see the entry on Mohist Canons) formulated a sophisticated semantic theory, epistemology, utilitarian ethics, theory of analogical reasoning, and mereological ontology and undertook inquiries in such diverse fields as geometry, mechanics, optics, and economics. They addressed technical problems raised by their semantics and utilitarian ethics and produced a collection of terse, rigorous arguments that develop Mohist doctrines, defend them against criticisms, and rebut opponents' views.
Central elements of Mohist thought include advocacy of a unified ethical and political order grounded in a utilitarian ethic emphasizing impartial concern for all; active opposition to military aggression and injury to others; devotion to utility and frugality and condemnation of waste and luxury; support for a centralized, authoritarian state led by a virtuous, benevolent sovereign and managed by a hierarchical, merit-based bureaucracy; and reverence for and obedience to Heaven (Tian, literally the sky) and the ghosts worshiped in traditional folk religion. Mohist ethics and epistemology are characterized by a concern with finding objective standards that will guide judgment and action reliably and impartially so as to produce beneficial, morally right consequences. The Mohists assume that people are naturally motivated to do what they believe is right, and thus with proper moral education will generally tend to conform to the correct ethical norms. They believe strongly in the power of discussion and persuasion to solve ethical problems and motivate action, and they are confident that moral and political questions have objective answers that can be discovered and defended by inquiry.
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Mohism and Confucianism were the two key Chinese philosophies in the pre-Qin era. Mohism had attracted so many followers that it became a great challenge to Confucianism. However, Mohism went into decline so suddenly after Qin dynasty. Some of its teachings were later absorbed into Confucianism.
A key concept of Mohism is “loving each others” (兼爱). They believe human beings should love each others and there should be no different love between family members and strangers. All are equal and even a stranger is under attack, Mohism followers should help the strangers regardless of self or any rewards. Andy Lau‘s movie 《 墨攻》is one of such examples.
This is why some of the SDP suggestions are quite Mohism. For example, minimum wage, different GST rates, HDB flats sold at cost, cut the PMO budget, human rights, ISD abolishment, etc. You may find out more in their website.
You may not agree with what SDP is doing. However, they have presented Singaporeans the other side of the picture. Whether it is good or bad, they have to right to air it. Not to forget, if there is no debate on different philosophies, we will not have Hundred Schools of Thoughts. More than 2,000 years ago, educated people were allowed to argue over different policies and thoughts, why in today we are afraid of such a debate? To advance to a gracious and harmonised Singapore, contributions of opinions from all walks of life are important elements towards a civilized and inclusive country.
Mohism and Daoism have different, unique but distinguish characters of their own. They may look odd in the main stream politics but they add colours to the society.
There are 2 important differences and lessons for Hundred Schools of Thoughts era and today’s democratic Singapore:
1. In Hundred Schools of Thoughts era, scholars or philosophers like Confucius, Mozi, Mengzi, Sunzi, etc cannot over turn the rulers but their duty is to persuade rulers to accept their ideas and suggestions. They are passive implementers of their ideas and policies. They have no right to introduce and implement their strategies, a little like the nominated MPs, or to a lesser extent NCMPs who can debate but cannot vote in the parliament. Should an ambitious candidate aim for that?
2. In today’s Singapore, all these Hundred Schools of Thoughts can form their political parties and stand for election. Mandate is given to them by the citizens to implement their manifestoes. Voters should appreciate their rights to vote and vote wisely. Political parties are given chances to approach people (like the rulers in pre-Qin era) freely in a democratic county. In Hundred Schools of Thoughts era, no scholars or philosophers were detained or killed even they offended the rulers (e.g. Mengzi, Zhuangzi etc) until Qin united China. These people were respected by the rulers perhaps because they formed no threat to their governments. The voting must reflect the wishes of the citizens, deep from their hearts.
