Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘), who is widely reported to be eyeing the presidency, has invited two opposition presidential aspirants to discuss cooperation to challenge the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) candidate, Vice President William Lai, who is leading in the polls.
At a banquet held on Thursday by a so-called “alliance on mainstream public opinion” that he initiated, Gou said the opposition camp needed to work together if it hoped to defeat the DPP in January’s presidential election and push for Taiwan’s democratic development.
The main opposition candidates are New Taipei Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), chairman of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP).
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Gou is said to be considering an independent run at the presidency, although polls currently have him in fourth place were he to declare his candidacy.
While Gou acknowledged he lacked the election experience of Hou and Ko, he said Taiwanese want to see cooperation and unity in the opposition camp, and that mainstream opinion favors cross-strait peace, economic prosperity and clean politics.
Given that environment, Gou invited Hou and Ko to sit down and discuss an alliance focused on defeating the DPP’s Lai, whom Gou described as the “big bad wolf” in the fable The Three Little Pigs.
In that story, the three pigs fought off the wolf’s attacks by uniting behind a solid house made of bricks built y the youngest little pig, Gou said.
Such an alliance is how the opposition could work to defeat Lai and his party, he said.
The pro-independence DPP has undermined cross-strait ties and put Taiwan at risk of war with China, while also weakening Taiwan’s democratic mechanisms, he said.
Gou did not say what form this alliance would take or his role in it, but the appeal and invitation came as Gou himself has divided opinion in the opposition camp after losing to Hou in the KMT nomination process earlier this year.
Rather than holding an open primary, the KMT opted to “recruit” Hou as its nominee over Gou, citing internal party poll data that favored Hou.
Prior to the nomination process, Gou said that he would support whoever was nominated, but has since appeared to have gone back on his pledge, hurting support for Hou.
Ko did not immediately respond to Gou’s invitation, while Hou yesterday said he would visit Gou in person to demonstrate his sincerity in asking the Hon Hai founder for advice.
Hou said he tried to visit Gou three times in the past, but nothing was ever arranged.
In a response that could suggest a shift in his position, Gou seemed interested in meeting with Hou, and suggested that bygones be bygones.
KMT legislative caucus head William Tseng (曾銘宗) said that more than 60 percent of voters wanted to see the DPP defeated in the presidential race and that his party would do its best to achieve the goal.
He said the KMT welcomed any communication within the opposition camp.
TPP Legislator Jang Chyi-lu (張其祿) said Ko, rather than Gou, was the proper person to call on the opposition camp to unite, because Ko is ahead of Hou in most opinion polls.
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