Former Hon Hai Precision Industry Co chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) yesterday said he “definitely” does not believe that he is trailing Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) as suggested by a poll.
Gou made the remark when a reporter asked him about the poll, which was conducted by the Chinese-language Apple Daily loosely based on the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential primary polling method.
The telephone poll, conducted from Monday to Saturday last week, found that Han is expected to win the primary with a support rate of 41.9 percent, while Gou only has 32.1 percent.
Photo: Chiang Chih-hsiung, Taipei Times
Han is a strong opponent, Gou told reporters in Kaohsiung, but added that he also has a chance of winning.
If the public believes that it is important to improve the nation’s economy, Gou said that he would be the ideal candidate.
A spike in support for Han is evidence that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is most worried about Gou winning the primary, he said, referring to rumors that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been urging supporters to back Han in polls, under the assumption that the mayor would be easier to beat in next year’s presidential election.
If the KMT cannot win the presidential election and keep Kaohsiung, it would be because it has fallen into Tsai’s trap, he added.
“Everyone knows that the results of the KMT’s primary polls are going to be inaccurate, and that shows that the polling method — which requires people to be home to answer their landline telephone — is problematic,” Gou said.
The KMT rejected his proposal to include cellphone interviews in the polling, which would be conducted when most of his supporters would be away from home at work, he said.
Many people hope to see the KMT reformed, Gou said, adding that he has great expectations for the party.
He said he wonders if anyone on the KMT Central Standing Committee would dare to speak up and start a revolution to improve the economy like KMT Kaohsiung City Council Deputy Speaker Lu Shu-mei (陸淑美).
Lu last month openly voiced support for Gou to represent the party in the presidential election and urged Han to remain as Kaohsiung mayor.
“The KMT and the Central Standing Committee members need to wake up. If you continue on this path, how much longer do you have until the party is destroyed by the DPP?” Gou asked.
If the committee refuses to reform and the KMT collapses, committee members would be responsible, he said.
Gou said that in the past three months, he has seen too many issues within the party that need to be corrected.
He expressed hope that the committee would discuss why young people do not join the KMT, ways to revitalize the party and how to win elections at a meeting later in the day.
The KMT’s presidential primary polling began on Monday and is to end on Sunday. The results are to be announced on Monday next week.
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