Taiwanese Tycoon Gou Thanks Chinese Sea Goddess for Inspiration

Source:scmp.com

Taiwanese tycoon Terry Gou has claimed the chances of him challenging Tsai Ing-wen in the election for the self-ruled island's presidency next year would improve if he followed the instructions of Chinese sea goddess Matsu.

During a visit to the Tzu Hui Temple in New Taipei City on Wednesday, the head of Foxconn, the world's biggest electronics contract manufacturer, said he had long been concerned about the 2020 presidential elections – which he felt would shape the future of Taiwan – and that he recently dreamed of Matsu.

“Several days ago, I dreamed of Goddess Matsu, who asked me to do more things for the people in Taiwan … and I will follow her instruction,” he said after he announced that a final decision on a presidential run could be expected within days.

One of Taiwan's wealthiest men, Gou shook the political landscape on Tuesday by saying that if he ran, he would seek to take part in the opposition Kuomintang's primaries instead of standing as an independent.

Terry  Gou is likely to seek the KMT nomination for presidential candidate if  he decides to challenge Tsai Ing-wen in 2020. Photo: EPA

According to the KMT, Gou was to accept a citation from the mainland-friendly party on Wednesday following his strong support for it in recent years. This was a move, local news media said, that would pave the way for him to join the party's primary before becoming the KMT candidate.

Gou has been a KMT member for 50 years, but when the party held a re-registration campaign in 2000, Guo did not complete the process, raising doubts about his membership.

A KMT official told the South China Morning Post that if Gou wanted to run, there were many ways for the party to recognise him as a member who was qualified to join the primary. The citation was one way. Through his mother, Gou had offered a no-interest loan of NT$45 million (US$1.5 million) to the KMT in 2016 to help it get over financial difficulties.

Gou, 68, said he was considering a presidential bid because he wanted to do something for Taiwanese, especially those aged between 20 and 40, as the next two decades would be critical for the island.

Gou, with a net worth of US$7.4 billion, founded Hon Hai Precision Industry, better known as Foxconn, in 1974 with US$7,500 and 10 staff in Taiwan. The company has factories in a number of countries – most of them are on mainland China – employing more than a million workers.