TERMBASES
Promote what is beneficial to the people; eliminate what is not. Those in power should place the interests of the public at the forefront of their concerns, focusing on what is beneficial and eliminating what is harmful. In ancient China, Confucians, Mohists, and Legalists all held that this was the fundamental duty of a ruler, and determined whether or not there was public support and hence political legitimacy for his rule. Today “govern for the people” has its roots in this concept.