Possible Gou bid weighing on Han’s ratings: team

CRITIQUE: Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu launched his presidential campaign early, so only a few KMT members would support Terry Gou if he ran, a party member said

By Shih Hsiao-Kuang / Staff reporter





The likelihood of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) running for president is causing stagnation in Kaohsiung Mayor and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu’s (韓國瑜) support rating, a member of his campaign team said.

The latest polls show that Han’s support rating either remained the same or declined slightly, he said, adding that it was because Gou and KMT Legislator Wang Jin-ping (王金平) appear to be considering joining forces for a presidential bid, instead of supporting Han, the team member said.

However, even if Gou and Wang collaborated with Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) in next year’s election, they would have to overcome some challenges, the team member said on condition of anonymity.

Former legislative speaker and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wang Jin-pyng attends an event in Taipei on Friday. Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times

Once the uncertainty about the trio’s next move is removed, the situation would begin to stabilize for the KMT, he added.

The party had been calling on Gou and Wang to support Han, but a KMT member who declined to be named on Sunday took a more critical stance against them.

Saying the KMT has revoked the party memberships of former premier Hau Pei-tsun (郝柏村), former Judicial Yuan president Lin Yang-kang (林洋港) and former Control Yuan president Chen Li-an (陳履安), he asked: “Are Gou and Wang more important than them?”

While many KMT members have urged the party to revoke Gou’s and Wang’s membership, it would only do so if kindness fails to resolve the matter, to reduce any political impact, he said.

The party would definitely revoke Gou’s membership if he runs for president, he said.

The party has been training Wang since he was young and gave him the opportunity to serve as legislative speaker for 17 years, he said, adding that the party twice amended its rules to make Wang a legislator-at-large.

“Has the party ever treated him badly?” the party member asked.

As Han had begun preparing for his presidential campaign early, Gou is likely to have a limited number of KMT supporters if he runs for president, a KMT member said on condition of anonymity.

The member said he is not concerned about the KMT’s key lobbyists supporting Wang instead of Han, as all of the party’s mayors and council speakers are expected to join Han’s campaign.

Asked about calls to revoke Gou’s party membership, Tsai Chin-yu (蔡沁瑜), deputy chief executive of the Yonglin Education Foundation, which was cofounded by Gou, said he has not made any plans over running for president.

Gou has a deep bond with the KMT and has helped the party during crises, she said.

It is important for people to prioritize the interests of the Republic of China and not be restricted by the agendas of political parties, Tsai added.

Asked about Han’s declining support, Wang yesterday said the KMT would handle the matter.

Asked if he is worried the party would revoke his membership if he joins the presidential race, he said things have not yet reached that point and he would “see how things develop.”

Separately yesterday, an anonymous supporter of Wang said that the person who deserves punishment more than anyone else is KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義).

Wu is responsible for the way things have turned out within the party, he said, adding: “Having a title does not mean you get to say whatever you want or threaten others with disciplinary measures.”

Additional reporting by Cho Yi-chun,

Su Fu-nan and Chiu Yen-ling