A storm has broken within the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation (馬英九基金會), shocking the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). Earlier last month, former National Security Council secretary-general King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) delivered a letter of authorization from former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), the foundation’s chairman, requiring the cochief executive officer and KMT Vice Chairman Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) and cochief executive officer Wang Kuang-tzu (王光慈) to resign immediately after years within the foundation.
This month, the foundation issued two consecutive statements about their dismissal, trying to distance itself from them, accusing them of “serious violations of financial discipline,” saying they would refer the matter to the judicial system for investigation.
The storm continues to grow, with all parties offering differing narratives. It might be a matter of some embarrassment to Ma who has always said he prides himself on his integrity.
Parting ways in the political arena is not uncommon. It is only natural for relationships to change once a person leaves. Even if there were disagreements between parties or management issues within the foundation, handling the matter quickly and quietly would have been a sensible approach.
When Hsiao and Wang quietly left office late last month, the controversy might have died a natural death. That did not happen. The foundation’s subsequent statements became more aggressive, throwing more fuel on the fire every few days, transforming the incident from a personnel adjustment to an open political breakup.
When parting with political allies, it is indecorous to have a war of words in the news, or wave the knife of “financial discipline violations” in public. If there were violations, the investigation should reveal the truth.
Why is the foundation staging a trial by public opinion? By labelling the two with such emotionally charged accusations, it might make the public wonder whether such accusations are grounded, or is someone using Ma as cover to bury their rivals completely?
The crisis could have easily been avoided from the beginning.
Who benefits from the ugly breakup? The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is delighted to interpret this as a “civil war in the Ma office,” while pro-green media give major coverage to the news.
At a time when KMT leadership’s cross-strait policy and party positioning face multiple challenges, the eruption of the internal power struggles might only worsen the public’s perception of the blue camp. The foundation itself had originally planned to launch cross-strait youth exchanges this year, which have all been canceled.
The truth of controversy might be clarified eventually after judicial intervention, or it might fade away as political tides ebb and flow. However, the doubt it has left behind might not disappear even as the dust settles. Ma’s political legacy, built through decades of effort, might be badly tarnished in just weeks of a public opinion battle.
Ruay-shiung is a professor at National Taipei University of Business.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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