Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) recently criticized the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government’s COVID-19 vaccine procurement policy.
Gou accused the government of refusing to purchase the next-generation Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, saying that his aged mother is unable to receive a booster dose of the updated Pfizer vaccine in Taiwan.
Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) in response mocked Gou as a salesman for Pfizer.
Gou later expressed his discontent on his Facebook page, citing a passage from Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三國演義), implying that some officials were “rotten wood” and “beasts.” His harsh comments caught many people off-guard.
When the number of COVID-19 cases surged last summer, Hon Hai, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation donated 5 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to Taiwan.
TSMC and Tzu Chi never tried to take credit for this, and have hardly criticized the government for its policy.
As for Gou, who once said that “democracy does not put food on the table,” he has acted not only arrogantly, but also pretentiously, showing his tendency to be grandiose.
Gou is selfish and lacks democratic attainment. Behind his deeds and remarks might lie political and judicial calculations.
Gou’s personality and scheming ways were revealed in his approach to recent events. While Gou was negotiating with German pharmaceutical company BioNTech on behalf of the three vaccine donors, he said that the government would consider purchasing 30 million doses of the updated vaccines from the company.
More recently, he said that his Yonglin Healthcare Foundation and BioNTech are planning to jointly set up a clinical trial center in Taiwan for mRNA-based cancer immunotherapies.
His connection with Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安), who used to be his aide, should also be examined. Kao’s presumed boyfriend, Lee Chung-ting (李忠庭), received an annual salary of NT$6 million (US$195,363) from Gou’s foundation while also working as Kao’s assistant during her term as a legislator, a payment which might have contravened the Political Donations Act (政治獻金法). When Kao was a lawmaker, she guarded Hon Hai and pushed for legislation that favored the company.
Kao has been listed by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office as a suspect in an ongoing corruption investigation into alleged wage fraud and contraventions of the Anti-corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). She was recently released on bail of NT$600,000.
It is understandable why Gou chose to criticize the government. He is trying to shift focus from Kao’s case to help save her. By saving Kao, Gou would be able to protect his foundation and himself.
By passing the buck to the government, he has tried to keep the deal with BioNTech. He suggests that he would keep his promise, but the government is getting in the way.
Since the local elections last month, the political climate has become chaotic. Gou wants to seize the opportunity to launch another presidential bid.
Gou’s remarks should certainly be used against him by the opposition camp.
President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration should maintain courage, promptly clarify the vaccine delivery situation and even hit back hard. Gou could cause further political crises, and he should be stopped here.
Huang Rong-wen is a professor at National Changhua University of Education.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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