A meeting of two women presidents

A meeting of two women presidents

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's visit to Indonesia to meet
Ibu Megawati Soekarnoputri should be an occasion for both women
leaders to address the problem of poverty more vigorously in
their respective countries in particular and in Asia in general.
The simple reason is that the meeting of the two Asian leaders of
a similar background -- daughters of their countries' former
presidents -- would not fail to create a dramatic effect if they
took up the matter in addition to other issues related to
bilateral relations.

I am not ashamed to lament over the fact that both in the
Philippines and in Indonesia there are very rich people living
alongside very poor citizens and that the gap is widening.
Therefore, to single out the problem of poverty seems to be in
the spirit of the fight against terrorism from wherever it may
come. The bombing incidents in Indonesia are a kind of terror
that may be motivated by extreme elements witnessing this growing
gap. One may also see insurgency in the Philippines as a
manifestation of discontent over the big contrast between those
who live in luxury and the abject poverty in society.

In his address before the UN General Assembly, President
George Bush acknowledged that unless extreme poverty is addressed
successfully by the world organization, international terrorism
will easily find its way to the hearts of the disillusioned and
the rebellious living in hopeless conditions. At the moment, the
world is witnessing a confrontation between the richest and the
poorest nations of the world, a battle that is unworthy of human
civilization.

Women may not be better managers than men or even not better
politicians than men. But those who have made it to the top like
Arroyo and Megawati should leave no stone unturned to fight
poverty as their way of suppressing terrorism. The capitalist
system may be blamed for the unfair distribution of national and
social welfare. But the same system is ready to assist nations
that need assistance, albeit for a price.

GANDHI SUKARDI

Jakarta