A Sisterhood of Strength in Southeast Asia

It is a sisterhood of two: The daughters of presidents who themselves became presidents. They were born the same year and rose to replace the allegedly corrupt and inept men who led their countries.

Today, Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo are the two most powerful women in Southeast Asia.

The two leaders, who together rule more than 300 million people and more than 20,000 islands, met Tuesday for the first time since they both took office earlier this year and pledged to help each other.

“President Megawati and I agreed that since our fathers, President Sukarno and President Macapagal, were like brothers, we should also be like sisters, supporting each other as we seek solutions to problems we inherited,” Arroyo said during a joint appearance at her palace in Manila.

The two women represent the new dynasties of Southeast Asian democracy. Arroyo’s father, Diosdado Macapagal, served as president of the Philippines from 1961 to 1965. Megawati’s father, Sukarno, was Indonesia’s first president and led the nation from 1945 to 1965.

The similarities between Arroyo and Megawati are striking.

Both are 54 and have three children. Both were vice presidents who took power this year when their predecessors, Joseph Estrada of the Philippines and Abdurrahman Wahid of Indonesia, were forced from office. Both new presidents had the backing of the military.

However, even though Megawati and Arroyo have reached the pinnacle of power in Southeast Asia’s two most populous countries, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the role of women in these male-dominated societies is changing.

Women have become leaders in a handful of Asian countries in recent decades, but they followed in the footsteps of male family members. For example, Indira Gandhi in India and Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan took power after their fathers.

The Philippines’ first female president, Corazon Aquino, was elected after her husband, Sen. Ninoy Aquino, who challenged the rule of strongman Ferdinand E. Marcos, was assassinated.

“I cannot think of a woman in Asia who has risen to the top on her own without a husband, father or brother to open the way for her,” said Dewi Fortuna Anwar, an aide to former Indonesian President B.J. Habibie.

“One can argue that this is simply the result of paternalism in most Asian societies,” she continued. “People tend to flock to great leaders, and then when the great leaders pass away, they turn to their dependents. The sex of the children doesn’t matter.”

Arroyo, a Roman Catholic who took office in January, and Megawati, a Muslim who became president last month, lived in their countries’ presidential palaces as children.

Their fathers both lost power in 1965 and were replaced by notorious dictators.

The senior Macapagal lost an election to Marcos, who went on to declare martial law and rule the Philippines until 1986. Sukarno was forced from power by Gen. Suharto, who slaughtered an estimated 500,000 people and ruled until the Asian economic crisis and protests forced him to step down in 1998.

Both Marcos and Suharto were accused of stealing billions of dollars from their countries.

Today, the two daughters lead nations with a host of serious problems.

Both presidents must attempt to resolve decades-long Islamic separatist movements in outlying regions--Mindanao in the Philippines and Aceh in Indonesia.

Poverty is widespread among the 225 million people of Indonesia and the 81 million people of the Philippines. Corruption is endemic. Neither country has recovered from the economic collapse that began in 1997.

Both women have husbands whose commercial dealings could lead to scandal and political embarrassment. Both have publicly warned their husbands not to engage in corrupt business activities.

“I have personally called upon all members of my family to support my campaign to avoid any scandals involving corruption, collusion and nepotism, and they have sincerely agreed to help me,” Megawati said last week in a speech.

Megawati’s husband, Taufik Kiemas, told reporters that his wife also advised her Cabinet ministers not to give any special benefits to presidential family members.

Arroyo gave similar warnings when she took office. Even so, allegations surfaced this month that her husband, Miguel Arroyo, accepted $1 million in bribes to convince the president to approve two telecommunications franchise bills. She vetoed the measures. They both deny the charges.

Despite all the two leaders have in common, their personalities are quite different.

Arroyo, who has a doctorate in economics, can be quick-tempered and impulsive. She often speaks bluntly, declaring more than once that she would “crush” rebels.

Megawati, on the other hand, watches her words carefully and seldom tips her hand. She rarely gives interviews and has created an aura of serenity that contributes to her popularity at home.

During their appearance before reporters, Arroyo called Megawati a “champion of democracy” and praised Indonesia for helping the Philippines secure a peace accord with Muslim separatists in Mindanao.

For Megawati, the trip to Manila is the first stop on a whirlwind tour of nine Southeast Asian countries. Next month, she is to travel to Washington to meet President Bush--himself the offspring of a former president and new to the job this year.

Some women hope that the rise of Megawati and Arroyo will inspire other women to pursue their ambitions, particularly in Indonesia, where women traditionally have not played as great a role in public life.

“By the simple fact that they have adopted this prestigious position they have broken the glass ceiling,” said Anwar, the former presidential aide. “By this they have done their sex a great service.”