Donation is and should be a voluntary act

In this sense, the Nankai district government's act of "helping teachers decide to donate" without seeking their permission in advance or netizens' attempt to force Ma to donate a large amount of money simply because he is super rich are a form of extortion or moral blackmail.

Even the netizens claiming to be rational have argued that the ocean-like gap between their and Ma's financial positions should prompt the Alibaba founder to donate a big amount for a humanitarian cause. This is the kind of illogical argument moral blackmailers always use - they cite all sorts of excuses to escape responsibility and put the onus on others to help people in need. Consequently, philanthropy has come to mean the rich helping those in need, which is certainly not what philanthropy is about.

When it comes to charity, the rich, the not-so-rich and ordinary people can play a role, because a donation, however small, embodies the donor's benevolence and makes a difference. It is a pity that many Chinese still measure charity by the amount of money donated, which goes against the spirit and cause of philanthropy.

Contrary to some netizens' claim, Ma's track record shows he is anything but a stingy billionaire, because the 2014 Hurun Philanthropists List says he donated 14.5 billion yuan ($2.27 billion) to projects at home and abroad to become the highest donor in China (including Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao) last year.

To promote true philanthropy, the use of moral blackmail to force a person to donate money has to be eliminated and a healthier environment for charity created. This will help develop moral consciousness in individuals and make them realize their social responsibilities and duties toward fellow citizens. This is the best way to not only help the cause of charity but also promote the much wider cause of humanity.

The author is a writer with China Daily. xiaolixin@chinadaily.com.cn