Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘), the great businessman, has humbled himself twice seeking the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) nomination for presidential elections.
With regret and frustration, Gou must be confused as to why he failed. He could not swallow his pride. Doubtless he has the ability to lead the nation and make policy. When he met then-US president Donald Trump in the White House, he even wore a special baseball cap emblazoned with the Republic of China and US flags, showing his acute global perspective. And he is clearly up to handling cross-strait relations: He has met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). What is it about Gou that makes him any less prepared to take on these tasks than former Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) four years ago, or New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) this time around? With his tail between his legs, the only thing Gou can do is grumble that fate was simply not on his side.
Not to mention that he has donated generously to the KMT without regrets or complaints. Who can compete with him? KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) even said: “Gou is a precious resource of the KMT.” Was he just being polite, or was he speaking from the heart? And what did he mean by “resource”? Didn’t he mean a financial supporter, a money tree?
Gou gave the KMT an interest-free loan of NT$45 million (US$1.44 million) unquestioningly when the cash-strapped party could not pay its employees’ salaries.
At the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, then-Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) opened the Taiwan and Taipei pavilions with NT$1 billion raised by the KMT, of which NT$650 million was donated by Gou. Benefactors as generous as Gou do not grow on trees.
He was even careful to make sure all the donations were above board. Neither the NT$45 million loan nor the NT$650 million were political donations, so neither grantees nor grant givers were in danger of contravening the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法). That shows honesty as well as generosity. Gou is a person used to giving millions to others, loyal as the god of war Guan Gong (關公), and generous to a fault. He has given NT$300,000 from his own pocket and NT$3 million from Hon Hai Precision Industry to support KMT presidential candidates, from former vice president Lien Chan (連戰) and former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to Chu and Han, not once exceeding the legal limit of political donations.
His actions alone are enough to overturn the myth that businesspeople or enterprises would bet on different political parties depending on their business interests.
Gou must lie awake at night wondering why the KMT still does not nominate him as its presidential candidate even after all the money he has donated. Does the KMT think Gou is an ATM?
Chang Kuo-tsai is a retired National Hsinchu University of Education associate professor.
Translated by Polly Chiu
Source: Taipei Times - Editorials 2023/07/07
Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
