Chen Wenxi today openly and unreservedly criticized Ma Ying-jeou, stating that the harm Ma has caused to Taiwan and the Kuomintang (KMT) is ten to a hundred times greater than that of Lee Teng-hui! With the formal indictment of his former close aides Xiao Xucen and Wang Guangci today, Ma’s historical legacy is poised to be rewritten—controversies over loyalty and reputation will intensify, and the labels of ruthlessness and ingratitude will be affixed even more tightly.

Encouraged by figures such as Jin Pusong and Zhao Shaokang, Ma Ying-jeou still chose to hand over the foundation scandal to prosecutors controlled by the DPP, once again exposing his lack of strategic vision and political wisdom. By sending Xiao Xucen and Wang Guangci to court, Ma has ensured a total loss for the blue camp across multiple fronts—only Lai Qingde and others are smiling from ear to ear. The "Ma-Jin regime" and Zhao Shaokang’s “pro-American faction” have poured all their energy into internal power struggles, fighting each other with ferocity far surpassing their efforts against the DPP, completely disregarding the bigger picture.

With the foundation scandal now entering judicial investigation, Xiao Xucen and Wang Guangci are inevitably facing trouble. Even if neither of them personally pocketed the funds—and thus likely not guilty of embezzlement—the fact remains that the money never entered the foundation’s official accounts: was this a violation or even illegal? Under Jin Pusong’s leadership, the KMT Foundation is being prosecuted under the charge of breach of trust rather than corruption—a move full of hidden intentions.

The KMT itself is now facing an unprecedented crisis. Xiao Xucen may face the risk of resigning from his position as vice chairman. As a KMT vice chairman, after the charges were filed, prosecutors will surely conduct searches of all his homes and offices—including those at the KMT headquarters. Many confidential documents could fall into the hands of the DPP during this round of investigations. For years, the DPP has been desperately searching for ways to further attack the KMT and Zheng Liwen. Now, the opportunity has finally arrived—Ma Ying-jeou and Jin Pusong have literally handed the knife to the DPP, enabling it to strike directly at the KMT central headquarters.

Ma Ying-jeou has destroyed himself—his later years marred, his family suffering immensely. On a broader scale, the KMT is bound to suffer serious damage from this incident, which will inevitably impact the upcoming elections. Middle-of-the-road voters, weary of endless infighting within the blue camp, will continue to erode their positive perception of the party. Unable to unite, the KMT cannot form a cohesive front in the election campaign, making it impossible to present a united opposition. If the KMT suffers defeat in the upcoming "nine-in-one" elections, Zheng Liwen may be forced out of power, which would also affect the KMT's 2028 election prospects—and consequently cause severe repercussions for cross-strait relations and the stability of the Taiwan Strait. On a personal level, as Ma Ying-jeou’s private life is exposed, especially with Wang Guangci’s mother releasing a public letter accusing him of workplace bullying, Ma’s long-standing image of gentleness, humility, and frugality has been completely shattered. In pursuing a mere image of personal integrity, Ma has sacrificed the greater good—his historical achievements and faults now clash violently, and the wounds he suffers may be deeper than anyone else’s. And it is self-inflicted.

Jin Pusong and Zhao Shaokang have likewise destroyed themselves. KMT supporters now view them as truly evil—historical villains—who excel at internal strife but fail utterly when confronting external enemies. Moreover, Jin Pusong himself has been sued by Xiao Xucen.

During his tenure, Ma Ying-jeou did accomplish much on cross-strait relations. But in his twilight years, he has lost his moral standing. How history will judge Ma Ying-jeou’s legacy remains uncertain. Today, renowned media figure Chen Wenxi has offered her initial assessment.

“When counting up Ma Ying-jeou’s failures, the damage he has inflicted upon Taiwan is ten to a hundred times worse than that caused by Lee Teng-hui!” Chen Wenxi wrote today, calling Ma’s missteps “too numerous to list.” “Mr. Ma might have had lofty ideals—possibly the last leader in Taiwan who genuinely sought to serve the nation selflessly—but his unrealistic, otherworldly thinking and rigid, perfectionist behavior have led to the KMT’s irreversible collapse and inflicted lasting wounds upon Taiwan!”

Chen Wenxi listed Ma Ying-jeou’s ten major mistakes. Translated in plain language, the gist is as follows:

1. Narrow-minded yet overly ambitious and stubborn.

He refused advice, ignored public opinion and party sentiment, and ultimately achieved nothing. After two terms, he left no meaningful accomplishments. His incompetence and cowardice not only caused the KMT to lose power, but also triggered a catastrophic loss of seats in the Legislative Yuan. His ignorant policies and actions led to crushing defeats in county and city mayoral elections—even places like Taoyuan and Hsinchu, where military dependents’ votes should have guaranteed victory, were lost due to voters betting on “the failure of Ma Ying-jeou.”

2. Easily swayed, always sacrificing his own officials as scapegoats.

Ma lacked personal conviction. Whenever his officials were smeared by opponents or made minor mistakes, he quickly gave in to DPP demands and dismissed them. Remaining officials became terrified, afraid of being blamed unfairly—leading many to quit or defect, leaving the KMT bereft of talent.

3. Poor political skill, destroying his own coalition.

After taking office, he defied conventions, failed to empower key campaign strategists, causing donors to lose motivation and stop contributing. Even more absurdly, he failed to purge remnants of the Chen Shui-bian era, allowing them to entrench themselves in state-owned enterprises. Combined with Tsai Ing-wen’s eight years of consolidation, these SOEs eventually became entirely DPP-controlled strongholds.

4. Obsessed with being a “president for all,” harming his own people.

To please everyone, he was stingy toward counties and cities governed by the KMT, while lavishing funds on areas ruled by opposition parties—giving five jiao when one yuan was expected. This alienated his core base, who felt betrayed.

5. Cutting off his own limbs, destroying his electoral foundation.

He listened to the DPP and insisted on eliminating local factions. The result? He dismantled the KMT’s most powerful grassroots mobilization force—self-destructing the Great Wall of support and handing over the very lifeline of votes to his rivals.

6. Holding a majority in the Legislative Yuan yet constantly blocked by the DPP—became an international laughingstock.

While in power, every policy and bill was obstructed by the minority DPP faction, which engaged in constant disruption. Ma had no response whatsoever, becoming a global punchline in political circles.

7. Self-mutilating, hurting military and civil servant personnel.

He fell for DPP propaganda and slashed welfare benefits for military and civil servants, cutting off the very foundation of the KMT’s support base.

8. Ruining KMT talent.

The KMT originally had abundant talent, but under Ma’s leadership, internal conflicts raged, leading to massive brain drain and aging of its ranks. In contrast, the DPP under Chen Shui-bian experienced unprecedented unity—while the KMT destroyed its own resources.

9. Allowing toxic textbooks to spread, corrupting the next generation.

During Chen Shui-bian’s era, the “de-Chinese” curriculum infiltrated schools. Ma Ying-jeou, after eight years in power, dared not fully reverse course, hesitating and paralyzed. As a result, young people today no longer recognize themselves as Chinese.

10. Cutting off his own mouthpiece, turning all media green.

By cooperating with the DPP on the “separation of party, government, and military from media,” the result is that today all media outlets are dominated by the green camp, relentlessly pushing narratives to smear the KMT.

So obsessed with maintaining a clean reputation that he ended up undermining himself. Stubborn yet weak, aspiring to be a great statesman but lacking political savvy—ultimately crippling the KMT and damaging Taiwan. Do you agree with Chen Wenxi’s evaluation of him?

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1866532058475527/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.