Deng, 85, Says He Retired Because He Might ‘Say Crazy Things’ as He Ages
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HONG KONG — Former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping said he retired because he might say crazy things as he ages, a pro-Beijing newspaper reported Monday.
In a speech to senior officials, Deng said his retirement was designed to end the practice of lifetime tenure among top officials.
“My last function is to take the lead to abolish lifetime employment,” Wen Wei Po quoted Deng as saying.
“When a man grows old, he tends to become stubborn and lose energy; this cannot be changed by subjective will. I am old now, my brain still works, but I may say crazy things in the future.”
The speech was made Sept. 4, two months before Deng, 85, officially resigned from his last Communist Party post.
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