Hon Hai Precision Industry Co chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) yesterday said he and Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) would make a “perfect team” if he becomes the president while Han continues as mayor, after a new poll that showed he has a greater chance than Han of beating the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) candidate in next year’s presidential election.
The Chinese-language newspaper United Daily News yesterday published a poll that showed Gou taking a small lead over Han when respondents were asked to choose between one of the two and a DPP candidate.
Asked to choose between Han and President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), 44 percent of respondents favored Han, while 38 percent picked Tsai, said the poll, which was conducted from Monday to Wednesday last week.
Asked to choose between Gou and Tsai, 46 percent chose Gou and 33 percent picked Tsai.
The results were similar if the DPP candidate was former premier William Lai (賴清德).
Asked to choose between Han and Lai, 40 percent favored Han and 39 percent Lai.
Asked to choose between Gou and Lai, 43 percent picked Gou and 36 percent Lai.
“Public opinion fluctuates, so this could change if I do not work hard,” Gou told reporters when asked to comment on the poll results as he visited puppet show studio Pili International Multimedia Co in Yunlin County.
Gou added that he needed to spend more time visiting people in different regions, including Yunlin and Kaohsiung, to better understand people’s needs.
By the time he completes his trips, he would have a better understanding of Taiwan’s economic issues and opinion polls, he said.
“Some have been saying that my decision to join the primary would help Han by allowing him to focus on Kaohsiung and improve the local economy,” he added.
If elected president, he would ensure that economic prosperity is brought to Kaohsiung as well as the rest of Taiwan, he said.
“This way, KMT voters would not have to be so anxious, as I believe Han and I would make a perfect team if I become the president while he remains as mayor,” he said.
Han told reporters during a recess at the Kaohsiung City Council that he would be happy to see any KMT candidate gain in polls.
“I am really open-minded,” he added.
During a question-and-answer session at the council, several councilors asked him how he would run for president while working as mayor.
DPP Kaohsiung City Councilor Chien Huan-tsung (簡煥宗) said that Han has only completed 9 percent of his term, having served as mayor for less than 150 says.
He asked Han to clarify whether he would take time off for election campaigns in the three months leading up to the vote, as former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) did when he ran in the 2016 presidential election.
“If a president cannot create a better environment for the younger generation, there would be no glory, just shame, when he leaves the world,” Han replied.
Additional reporting by Ke Yu-hao
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