Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) has called on Taiwan People’s Party Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential nominee, to sit down and have coffee with him.
Likening the three of them to the three little pigs of the children’s fable, their fate threatened by the “big bad wolf” — the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) candidate, Vice President William Lai (賴清德) — Gou said that unless the “anti-green alliance” can sit down and develop a concerted plan, Lai would win next year’s election.
Pan-blue pundits are losing patience with Gou. Former TVBS news anchor Lee Yen-chiou (李艷秋) wrote on Facebook on Tuesday that the “three little pigs” were grinding down voters’ enthusiasm for a transfer of power. She pointed to a poll which showed that, whereas previously 60 percent of voters wanted to see the DPP out of government, the figure had fallen to only 40 percent.
Lee attributed the decline to the three candidates not working to push home the message of why so many voters wanted fresh faces in power.
Lee accused Hou of being weak and Ko of shooting off his mouth, while Gou was throwing around his money and taking aim at people who are supposed to be on his side.
Recent polling had Lai at 43.4 percent compared with Ko’s 26.6 percent and Hou’s 13.6 percent. If Gou’s supporters think the polls lend credence to his urgency for unity among the “three little pigs,” they should heed the words of Broadcasting Corp of China chairman Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康), who told Gou that Ko and Hou polling behind Lai was in no small part due to Gou’s actions. Jaw asked him to either declare his candidacy or announce which candidate he would support.
Why is this still an issue? Why is Gou still prancing in the wings, tossing banana skins and provocations onto the stage while the main acts are attempting to perform? Jaw is right: Gou should stop lobbing bombs at the weak and distracted.
Jaw likened Gou’s “coffee invitation” to the infamous Hongmen feast of Chinese history: For those more familiar with Game of Thrones than ancient Chinese lore, think of the Red Wedding episode.
From his answer to a question during an event in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋) on Sunday, Gou seems to want to work out a system with Ko and Hou where they talk through their ideas and leave it to the electorate to decide which ideas and which coalition ticket they would prefer. In other words, he is still pushing to be invited to the party and given the best seat at the table.
It sounds like the “Three Little Pigs,” albeit with a twist at the end in which the youngest, weakest of the three turns out to be the Big Bad Wolf in disguise, feigning brotherly affection to wheedle his way in and pounce when the other two are least expecting it.
That would require thwarting those who were seeking an alliance and only makes sense if the ultimate goal is to eliminate them. It is no wonder Jaw talked about the Hongmen feast.
Rather than band together, Gou, Hou and Ko should concentrate on their own campaigns. Ko is trying to, while Hou is not being allowed to by Gou, who has not announced one. They need to let go of each other.
Gou needs to let go first, but Ko and Hou must work harder to shake him off.
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