Ma Ying-jeou Contacts Yang Du, Admits Age-Related Forgetfulness But Not Inability to Distinguish Clean Governance from Corruption

Taipei, April 14 (CNA) Former President Ma Ying-jeou's foundation recently underwent personnel changes, with former CEO Hsiao Hsu-tsen and Wang Guang-tzu leaving, sparking discussion. Writer Yang Du today published an article describing Ma Ying-jeou's cognitive decline. The Ma Ying-jeou Foundation stated that Ma Ying-jeou called Yang Du this morning, hoping to clarify his current health status, which is not as severely deteriorated as described in the article. He only experiences forgetfulness due to his age of 76, but he has not reached a point where he cannot distinguish between clean governance and corruption, or right from wrong. The Ma Ying-jeou Foundation held an interim board meeting yesterday and issued a statement indicating that an accountant's investigation found 'Taiwanese business donations' of unknown origin that were not recorded, which could severely impact financial discipline. Yang Du, acting as an old friend of Ma Ying-jeou for many years, posted on Facebook today, discussing Ma Ying-jeou's 'deterioration process' and advising Ma's family and foundation board members to 'turn off the lights' out of love for the old friend. The Ma Ying-jeou Foundation issued a statement at noon, explaining that Ma Ying-jeou specifically called Yang Du this morning to let him understand his true health condition, which is not as severe as portrayed in the article. Ma stressed that while he is 76 and forgetful, he can still differentiate between integrity and corruption, and good and evil. The foundation also noted that Ma Ying-jeou mentioned during the call that he knew Yang Du and Hsiao Hsu-tsen were close, but he could not accept Hsiao Hsu-tsen using the insinuation of his cognitive decline as an excuse to cover up improper actions by Hsiao Hsu-tsen and Wang Guang-tzu. The Ma Ying-jeou Foundation further stated that Ma Ying-jeou emphasized his long-standing friendship with Yang Du, which prompted him to call after seeing the article, hoping Yang Du would understand his true health situation after their conversation. The Ma Ying-jeou Foundation concluded by quoting Ma Ying-jeou: 'My health condition and whether Hsiao and Wang are involved in breach of trust and embezzlement are two completely different matters. Can my health be a reason for Hsiao and Wang's illegal and disorderly conduct? The two cannot be confused.'