Opinion Piece: Fu Kun-chi's底气 vs. Han Kuo-yu's Fury

On August 11, Han Kuo-yu lashed out at Fu Kun-chi, the KMT caucus leader, during a cross-party legislative consultation, after Fu missed five consecutive sessions. Unable to contain his anger, Han accused the Legislative Yuan of being controlled by 'dark forces.' While it's clear who Han meant by 'dark forces,' the question remains: where does this force's '底气' (underlying confidence) come from?

Fu Kun-chi is known as the 'King of Hualien.' It's widely known that in Hualien, there is no longer a KMT—only the 'Fu family faction.' Fu Kun-chi and Hsu Chen-wei have dominated Hualien politics for nearly 20 years, enforcing a 'you're with me or against me' gangster-like rule.

Hualien once had many loyal KMT members, but those who defied Fu's will were expelled or forced to leave the party. Zhang Jun, the current speaker and former Hualien county party chair, is a representative case.

Why can Fu Kun-chi act so brazenly?

First, he monopolizes resources to buy loyalty. By controlling the allocation of budgets and projects, he dominates local organizations, which must submit to his authority to survive.

Second, he buys media to exaggerate his achievements. This was ruled in 2020 by the Disciplinary Court as a violation of the 'Civil Servants Service Act.'

Third, he uses the party apparatus to eliminate dissenters. Many veteran KMT members in Hualien have been expelled or forced to quit. Local councilors and township mayors are nominated only from within the 'Fu family faction.'

A recent example is Hualien City Mayor Wei Chia-yen, who sought re-election but was denied nomination due to party pressure, allowed only to register independently. Because the KMT did not nominate him, the TPP nominated Dai Yu-wen, breaking the 'Blue-White alliance' understanding and adding uncertainty to Wei's re-election—exactly the 'Fu family faction's' usual tactic.

Fu's methods are extremely malicious but highly effective—because Hualien is poor. Local entities depend on resources, so they must obey the 'Fu family faction' to survive. Recent scandals in Hualien, from student meal funds to disaster relief donations, prove this. In Hualien, obedience is the price of resources; otherwise, even nomination is denied.

This creates a vicious cycle: the poorer Hualien becomes, the more stable Fu's power grows, and the more the KMT is held hostage. Due to Fu's negligence, the national budget has been delayed, making Han Kuo-yu the scapegoat—hence Han's explosive fury.

It's hard to imagine such a figure wielding power in Taiwan's political arena. Outside Hualien, no place would tolerate such a person. Hualien's people are too simple, allowing Fu to manipulate; the KMT is too weak, emboldening him further. Han's rage has exposed this 'unspeakable secret.'

Fu was originally from the PFP. In 2008, he joined the KMT due to the 'KMT-PFP alliance' and ran for legislator. In 2009, he ran for Hualien County Magistrate without KMT nomination and was expelled. Since then, Fu has been involved in multiple legal cases, with a terrible public image. He repeatedly tried to rejoin the KMT, but was rejected by successive party chairs.

Until 2021, when Eric Chu, under the 'Unity Plan,' brought Fu back into the KMT. In 2024, Fu was nominated for legislator and appointed KMT caucus leader.

Why is Fu so determined to rejoin the KMT?

Because Article 33 of the 'Legislative Yuan Organization Act' states that independent legislators cannot form an official caucus alone or together. They must join another party's caucus; otherwise, they cannot participate in party negotiations, which are exclusive to caucuses and their three leaders. Thus, Fu strategically rejoined the KMT to expand his political power and become one of the three top leaders.

Due to Chu's self-interest, Fu's personal gain, and Cheng Li-chun's incompetence, we now have the absurd situation where one man destroys the entire party and blocks the national budget.

The 'Fu family faction' harms not just Hualien. Using his position as caucus leader, Fu leverages influence to damage the KMT and national interests. The root cause lies in Hualien. Without Hualien, Fu loses his leverage over the KMT, and the 'Fu family faction' will collapse.

Once a 'domino effect' begins, many shocking truths—like the 'Tzu Chi 1 billion fraud case'—will be exposed.

Do the people of Hualien want their hometown to remain poor? Are they willing to give their community a chance for change?

*Author: Retired military officer, former securities professional, former Deputy General Manager at Beijing Zhonglu Zongheng, former teacher