Hon Hai Technology Group chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) said yesterday that “democracy makes no pottage” and that social movements were only a waste of social resources that did the nation’s GDP growth no good.
Gou made the remarks after meeting Taiwanese table tennis player Chuang Chih-yuan (莊智淵) at his company’s headquarters in New Taipei City’s Tucheng District (土城), four days after Chuang bagged a bronze medal at the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Tokyo on Sunday.
“Taiwan’s economy is not as depressed as people think, but it is undeniable that it requires some structural changes. However, our government officials have for too long let trifling and erroneous news reports tie their hands, and let ‘passers-by’ consume our social resources,” Gou said.
Photo: Courtesy of Hon Hai Technology Group
By “passers-by” he presumably referred to social activists who have been holding protests in recent weeks under the guise of “passing by,” a term used by the Taipei City Police Department last month when it said an unauthorized rally held by former gang leader Chang An-le (張安樂) in support of the cross-strait service trade agreement was legal, as the demonstrators had been merely “passing by.”
Gou said it was the nation’s competitiveness rather than democracy that had been feeding its people.
“Democracy is not of much help when it comes to boosting the nation’s GDP, and social movements have often let our talents and resources go to waste,” Gou said.
The business tycoon said democracy was merely a part of the fruition process instead of the fruit itself, adding that the country’s main focus should be on transforming its democratic dynamic to economic achievements.
Gou also shrugged off what he said was outgoing Control Yuan President Wang Chien-shien’s recent advice that he should stand as a candidate in the 2016 presidential election.
“The one job everyone should shun is the presidency. It is a trouble-plagued job and please do not get me in trouble,” Gou said.
Gou also issued an ultimatum to the National Communications Commission, which is mulling whether to allow his company to use equipment from the Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies for its 4G venture.
“I urge the commission to make a decision within a week, or I will refuse to pay my taxes,” he said.
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