Netflix star Tammy Lai joins Gou’s Taiwan presidential bid

• Taiwan billionaire Terry Gou selected actress Tammy Lai as his vice-presidential candidate for the upcoming presidential election.
• Tammy Lai, a prominent figure in entertainment, lacks political experience.
• Terry Gou, founder of Foxconn, runs as an independent amid rising tensions with China.
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Billionaire Terry Gou of Taiwan has selected actress Tammy Lai, whose Netflix series played a significant role in the MeToo movement, as his vice-presidential candidate for the upcoming January presidential election.

Tammy Lai, aged 60, is a well-known figure in the entertainment industry, but her lack of political experience has raised eyebrows.

Terry Gou, the founder of Foxconn, the company behind the iPhone, is running as an independent candidate. This election takes place amid rising tensions with China, which has recently made it increasingly clear that it may consider using force to assert its claims over Taiwan.

During the announcement, Terry Gou praised Tammy Lai as an exceptional writer and spiritual mentor, highlighting her qualifications for the role.

Despite her limited political knowledge, Ms. Lai expressed her willingness to collaborate with Mr. Gou, whom she finds intriguing after several meetings.

In the Netflix series “Wave Makers,” Ms. Lai portrayed a presidential candidate, a character seemingly inspired by President Tsai Ing-wen.

This show ignited a MeToo movement in Taiwan earlier this year, leading to allegations of sexual harassment and assault within various industries.

This wave of accusations involved politicians, activists, celebrities, and others, prompting public reckoning and apologies.

Even President Tsai herself issued an apology and pledged to implement reforms in response.

However, the unorthodox choice of Ms. Lai as vice-presidential candidate by Mr. Gou may not significantly impact the outcome of the January election, according to Dennis Weng, an associate professor at Sam Houston State University in the United States.

Terry Gou, who has committed to steering Taiwan away from the possibility of war with China, opted to run as an independent candidate after failing to secure the nomination from the main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT).

Both Terry Gou and the KMT’s Hou Yu-ih are generally perceived as having pro-China stances, in contrast to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which supports formal independence for Taiwan.

Currently, Terry Gou is trailing behind other candidates in the race. The DPP’s William Lai, the incumbent Vice President of Taiwan, leads in the polls, followed by Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People’s Party. Ko Wen-je, the former mayor of Taipei, has garnered strong support from younger voters.

Terry Gou has been trying to appeal to voters by highlighting his business achievements and his experience in dealing with China.

He founded Foxconn in 1974, and the company has since become a major supplier for Apple.