Megawati the Most Powerful Woman

By Barrie | September 24th, 2007 | No Comments

Former President Megawati Soekarnoputri tops the list of Indonesia’s 99 Most Powerful Women, according to the October edition of GlobeAsia business magazine.

The country’s first female president and currently chairwoman of the its second largest political party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Megawati exerts great influence and power in terms of determining national political discourse and appointing high-level government officials, the magazine says.

Her power was once again displayed when she was recently nominated by her party to run for the 2009 presidential election.
Although she is unlikely to have a big opportunity to once again win the presidency, no one should write her off as she remains one of the few true leaders in the country, the article says.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and First Lady Kristiani Herawati Yudhoyono also feature prominently in the list.

Both women are regarded as wielding significant power, both through their professional lives and through their closeness to the President.

“It is amazing that Indonesian women have played such a significant role in Indonesian society — from politics, to business to society,” the magazine’s executive chairman Rizal Ramli said in a media statement.

The includes women working in a wide range of fields. Celebrities, social workers and artists all feature.

Entrepreneurs dominate the list with 45 entries, followed by 35 social activists and 19 politicians.

The women were judged on their contributions to economics, politics and society to make it on to the list as the Jakarta Post article explained.