Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) on Monday announced that he will run in next year’s presidential election as an independent candidate, pledging to bring 50 years of peace to Taiwan, double the nation’s GDP growth rate and bring prosperity to the public.
Touting finance and business management chops, Gou said the era of “entrepreneurs’ rule” has come and only he has the skills needed in a future president of Taiwan. He also called for unity among “anti-green coalition” opposition party candidates to remove the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) from power.
“I am not a conventional politician. I am doing it to change Taiwan’s economy and people’s livelihood. As a political freshman, there are many aspects I still need to learn,” he wrote on Facebook on Friday.
Yet, as a politics newbie, he and his campaign team’s remarks do not show modesty, but a disrespect for fundamental values of democracy and to the integrity needed in a trustworthy politician, as well as to professionalism needed in policymaking.
Before Monday, Gou held several campaign-like events across Taiwan in the name of a “Mainstream Public Opinion Alliance,” but as public opinion is often reflected in polling results, recent numbers all showed Gou as having the lowest support rate when running against DPP candidate Vice President William Lai (賴清德), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲).
While many remember Gou’s remark that “democracy does not help GDP growth … democracy is a process, not the fruit, and only the economic fruit can feed stomachs,” local media in June reported Gou expressing confidence in a “merger and acquisition” of the TPP in the upcoming election, implying his disregard for party politics and lack of sincerity in negotiating.
Gou also demonstrated his arrogance towards the process in a news conference on Monday. Reporters were forced to wait by venue elevators, with the event opening about 30 minutes later than scheduled. Gou called the press a “manufacturing industry” that needs to create political issues; accused a Singaporean correspondent of no longer being impartial, but of having “learned from Taiwanese media” to “set traps” in his question for him, and deflected when asked about China.
In a May speech he said that “nine out of 10 politicians tell lies, and the other is still in training” while joking that he is still training, yet his actions suggest he might already be well-trained.
Many KMT supporters have criticized him for his broken promises to support Hou. Several media outlets also cited a 2017 CNN news report, listing a number of big investment announcements by Hon Hai around the world since 2011 which have yet to materialize.
To make matters worse, Gou’s two “team members,” former Department of Health minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) as think tank member, and nuclear power advocate Huang Shih-hsiu (黃士修) as spokesperson, further reflect an erosion of professionalism.
Yaung last Sunday said domestic violence exists “because the public is unable to beat up President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), so they take it out on people weaker than they are, by beating up their wives and children,” and said on Monday that “Taiwanese men’s sperm are becoming infertile and women are relying on egg freezing to give birth” as they are eating ractopamine-laced pork and irradiated food due to Tsai’s policies.
It is unclear if Gou will succeed in collecting 290,000 signatures needed to qualify as an independent, or if he will succeed in “integrating” opposition party candidates, but his remarks and actions raise serious concerns about competence.
Why is Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) not a “happy camper” these days regarding Taiwan? Taiwanese have not become more “CCP friendly” in response to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) use of spies and graft by the United Front Work Department, intimidation conducted by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the Armed Police/Coast Guard, and endless subversive political warfare measures, including cyber-attacks, economic coercion, and diplomatic isolation. The percentage of Taiwanese that prefer the status quo or prefer moving towards independence continues to rise — 76 percent as of December last year. According to National Chengchi University (NCCU) polling, the Taiwanese
It would be absurd to claim to see a silver lining behind every US President Donald Trump cloud. Those clouds are too many, too dark and too dangerous. All the same, viewed from a domestic political perspective, there is a clear emerging UK upside to Trump’s efforts at crashing the post-Cold War order. It might even get a boost from Thursday’s Washington visit by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In July last year, when Starmer became prime minister, the Labour Party was rigidly on the defensive about Europe. Brexit was seen as an electorally unstable issue for a party whose priority
US President Donald Trump is systematically dismantling the network of multilateral institutions, organizations and agreements that have helped prevent a third world war for more than 70 years. Yet many governments are twisting themselves into knots trying to downplay his actions, insisting that things are not as they seem and that even if they are, confronting the menace in the White House simply is not an option. Disagreement must be carefully disguised to avoid provoking his wrath. For the British political establishment, the convenient excuse is the need to preserve the UK’s “special relationship” with the US. Following their White House
US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House has brought renewed scrutiny to the Taiwan-US semiconductor relationship with his claim that Taiwan “stole” the US chip business and threats of 100 percent tariffs on foreign-made processors. For Taiwanese and industry leaders, understanding those developments in their full context is crucial while maintaining a clear vision of Taiwan’s role in the global technology ecosystem. The assertion that Taiwan “stole” the US’ semiconductor industry fundamentally misunderstands the evolution of global technology manufacturing. Over the past four decades, Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, led by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), has grown through legitimate means
RSS