Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) spokesman Ouyang Long (歐陽龍) yesterday expressed hope that Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) would “return to the party” as it prepares to nominate Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) as its presidential candidate.
Han is to be officially nominated as the party’s candidate at the KMT national convention on Suday, Ouyang said.
Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), former KMT chairs Lien Chan (連戰), Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) and Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), and KMT Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) are to attend, he said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
To promote unity, the party has also invited the other contenders in the primary, he said.
Former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫), former Taipei county commissioner Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) and Sun Yat-sen School president Chang Ya-chung (張亞中) have accepted the invitation, Ouyang said.
While Gou’s office on Tuesday said that the was abroad and would not be in Taiwan on Sunday, Oyang said he hopes Gou will return to support the party.
“I believe the issue with Gou will eventually be resolved,” he said, adding that the process would take time.
After a fair and transparent presidential primary, party members must rally behind its presidential candidate to help the KMT win the election, he said.
Separately yesterday, a fan group for Gou launched a petition to support Gou as an independent presidential candidate.
Under election laws, to qualify as an independent, a prospective candidate must collect signatures from 1.5 percent of the electorate in the previous legislative election, which would be 274,576, to make the Jan. 11 ballot.
“The purpose of the petition is to call back Gou. We must let him know that he is the only person capable of changing the Republic of China and Taiwan for the better,” Terry Gou’s Tiger Fans said in a statement on Facebook.
The KMT presidential primary was conducted in an unfair manner and the more rational independent supporters would not vote for Han, the group said.
“The KMT can lose the election, but the Republic of China and Taiwan cannot lose,” it said.
The Facebook group has more than 14,000 members.
Gou expressed gratitude to the group after learning about their efforts, Gou’s office said.
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