Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said he would cooperate with others if it was in the public’s interest, when asked if he might team up with former Hon Hai Precision Industry Co chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) for next year’s presidential election.
Ko made the remark in response to reporters’ questions while visiting temples and meeting with supporters in Yunlin County.
Ko is expected to run for president as an independent, and there has been speculation that Gou, who lost the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential primary this month, could partner with Ko.
Photo: Huang Shu-li, Taipei Times
Asked if he had spoken with Gou recently, Ko said: “To my knowledge, chairman Gou has not even returned to Taiwan yet, so what is there to talk about? We can talk if the opportunity comes up after he returns.”
The boss of a company usually has good abilities and Gou was the powerful leader of a big corporation, but politics is a different matter, so his defeat in the KMT’s primary implies that he still has a lot to learn, Ko said.
Asked if he might cooperate with Gou, Ko said: “As long as it is beneficial to Taiwan, we can cooperate... My logic is simple, under the premise of benefiting Taiwan’s public interest and the people’s well-being, we can think about how to cooperate.”
He also commented on the duty-free cigarette smuggling scandal that reportedly involved the National Security Bureau and several government agencies, saying that it is a long-established malpractice, which is likely only “the tip of the iceberg.”
An investigation into the case would be hard to see through until the end, he added.
Half of the bureau officials and aides-de-camp to the president could be involved, which would be like a “massacre” to the agencies involved, Ko said.
It takes at least two to three years for a political culture to form, and small problems must be solved consistently every day, he said, adding that the officers involved became unbridled in just three years.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first
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