Amid talks over a potential “blue-white alliance” for next year’s presidential election, one man seems to have been left out of the picture: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘), an independent contender.
Gou has attracted a great deal of attention for a video collaboration with Internet celebrity Granny Lihe (哩賀阿嬤). The video features the pair dancing to a parody version of a song titled My Name is Shi (我姓石), a massive hit on TikTok and Douyin. The parody includes the lyrics, “My name is Gou, the legendary tech tycoon. No one makes money like I do. My name is Gou. Like a tiger running downhill, coming through.”
Despite its popularity, the video has drawn criticism, with many finding it “low-class,” “clownish” and “unfitting” of a presidential contender.
Gou’s campaign office has pulled it from all platforms.
The video might convey Gou’s situation in a nutshell: desperate, attention-seeking and unprofessional.
A poll released by online news outlet My-Formosa.com showed that Gou still trailed other contenders with a 5.8 percent support rate, with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) nominees, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) and TPP Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) respectively, in a tight competition. The Democratic Progressive Party’s candidate, Vice President William Lai (賴清德), led with 35 percent.
As Gou’s signature drive seems to have received a lukewarm response and one of his staff members facing allegations of bribery, the video could be a manifestation of Gou and his team at their wit’s end.
Moreover, they do not seem to mind degrading themselves to attract publicity.
Given Gou’s underwhelming performance and sliding popularity, the KMT and the TPP seem to consider him a spent force and they have taken things into their own hands by proposing the alliance to further exclude him.
However, it is clear that talk of collaboration is not being done in good faith, but out of desperation and selfishness. Both parties seem to be preparing for the alliance — if one is forged — to fail.
Gou has three options: See his campaign through; play second fiddle to Ko or Hou; or bow out of the race and become a kingmaker.
With the first option unlikely and the second “demeaning” for a corporate leader, the third is the most plausible, allowing Gou to keep his head high.
Although he is considered a “minor” player in the presidential race, his support could be a game changer for Ko or Hou, as the one who did not receive Gou’s support — assuming he takes option three — could easily be marginalized.
The one who has most clearly held out an olive branch to Gou is Ko, with reports that the two met twice in one week. Ko could be using Gou as a bargaining chip in talks with the KMT, hinting that he might turn to Gou if their proposed alliance breaks down.
Nevertheless, Gou might be the key to solving the KMT-TPP alliance quagmire. Given his links to both parties, he could become an adjudicator or third party to propose an impartial solution.
Gou has said many times that he is running for the welfare of Taiwan, not for victory, so perhaps this would be the best way he could contribute to the nation and the greater good of the pan-blue camp.
It is time that Gou made a decision. Does he want to be a kingmaker or fizzle out?
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