Terry Gou's Farce, KMT's Tragedy
By Hsia Chen
The Storm Media, February 17, 2023
Terry Gou, the founder of Hon Hai Precision Industry Company (Foxconn), has thrown a hot potato to the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) as he intends to seek the party’s nomination for president in 2024.
History often repeats itself, first as tragedy and then as farce. In just four short years, Mr. Gou prepares to represent the KMT again in the 2024 presidential election. He seemed oblivious to the fact that this would turn into a farce. In any case, Mr. Gou’s rejoining the KMT in his bid for presidency has become a hot potato for the party and a joke that no one finds funny. If the KMT fails to win the presidency in 2024 due to this awkward situation, it will be an outright tragedy for the second time. Mr. Gou, a disconnected member, who once lent NT$45 million (about US$1.5 million) when KMT was in dire straits, has become a bane to the party.
As a successful business magnate, Mr. Gou can’t abandon the thought of running for president after it entered his head, just like an untreatable allergy that will itch when the time comes. When he expressed his willingness to represent the KMT as a presidential candidate through Wang Jin-pyng, former speaker of the Legislative Yuan, the public reaction was not as overwhelming as it was four years ago. Instead, the negative feedback outweighed the positive, which Gou didn't anticipate. How did this happen?
First, four years ago Mr. Gou was able to ride the wave of the so-called "Trump phenomenon," and convince the Taiwanese people that a successful business leader could be a good president due to the public's disappointment in career politicians. Four years later, the "Trump myth" has been shattered. Whether Gou or any business leader could lead Taiwan in the current turbulent situation, particularly if he doesn’t follow democratic rules like Trump, is a major question that cannot be ignored.
Second, voters are not employees of an enterprise, who usually follow the will of their bosses. Unlike Foxconn, the KMT must follow its party charter, which is not determined by Chairman Eric Chu. Even if KMT members are willing to support Gou, it still needs to go through the party's procedures. Four years ago, although then-Chairman Wu Den-yih made an exception for Gou based on his "outstanding contributions," Gou still failed to win the primary, which led to his angry departure from the party. Four years later, Gou himself admitted that he was "young and impulsive" at the time. Putting aside whether Gou was "young" or whether Gou's "impulsiveness" was justified, this question remains: how much contribution does Gou need to make this time to be accredited with the second exception? According to KMT regulations, those who withdraw membership can only reapply for membership four years later, and new members must at least have joined for four months to participate in the primary. Does this mean that Gou needs to increase his donations or loans to the KMT three or five times? No matter if it’s overriding party regulations or making more contributions, Gou’s case certainly will give the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) room for maneuvering, which is enough to knock down the KMT.
KMT-TPP Alliance and Non-DPP Coalition Both Ask for Trouble
Mr. Gou has certainly made tremendous contributions to Taiwan over the past four years as a successful entrepreneur, not to mention his timely donation of BNT vaccines to Taiwan last year. This was the peak of Mr. Gou's reputation. Not only did he donate the vaccines, but he also declared it was done with "no political purpose." According to Legislator Ker Chien-ming, whip of the DPP caucus in the Legislative Yuan, Gou had "no political agenda." Former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je even publicly stated that Gou told him in person that he would not run. Politicians' promises are mostly lies, and therefore, we cannot force Gou to keep his promise. However, it does serve to weaken the public's gratitude towards him for his charitable acts, suggesting that his altruistic actions may have been driven by selfish intentions.
Third, as a businessman, Mr. Gou values investment returns. He has not invested in the KMT, but instead in the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), and even in the People First Party (PFP) over the past four years. He successfully recommended Kao Hong-an for TPP legislator-at-large, while the KMT suffered a crushing defeat in the legislative elections three years ago. On the contrary, Gou played no role in KMT’s victory in the local elections last year. Gou made the choice to run for the KMT presidential ticket instead of that of the TPP because the latter has no chance of winning. Since the TPP is still in its "start-up phase," Chairman Ko Wen-je may not mind being underestimated. However, as a "key minority," he would be satisfied just to induce a "troublemaker effect" in party politics. As Ko has said, "I decide who will be the president in 2024." Media speculation for a “KMT-DPP alliance” or a “non-DPP coalition” has boosted Ko's self-confidence.
If the KMT were to open a special gateway for Mr. Gou to return again, it would likely cause an uproar within the party. Gou is unlikely to follow KMT party regulations and return in September since it would be too late to participate in the presidential primary. Does he really identify with the KMT's ideology and policies? Not even Gou himself would believe that. So, whether or not Gou will be "young and impulsive" again remains yet to be seen. In fact, he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of "investing" in the TPP and cooperating with Ko under the banner of the TPP, or as an independent candidate. In spite of winning the local elections last year, the KMT is afraid of losing the next presidential election. The thought of Gou running for president may scare the KMT more than it scares anyone else.
In short, the KMT is caught in a dilemma with Gou’s return, regardless of whether Gou runs for the presidency. The issue on his return has already disrupted the rhythm of the KMT's presidential campaign. The worst combination would be the rumored "Gou-Chu pair," where one runs for president and the other becomes party chairman for the sake of being able to participate in the election. It can be described as a "utilitarian combination" rather than a "winning team." Faced with a confident Chairman William Lai of the DPP, Chairman Chu is unlucky. He probably didn't expect the negative repercussion of winning the 2022 local elections, especially with the addition of an unmanageable "big shot" who dropped out of nowhere.