Asia’s top women keep it in the family — for now
| focus |
 |
BANGKOK — Thailand’s first female prime minister will this week join a long list of Asian women leaders whose power stems from family ties, with analysts saying the trend is a mixed blessing for equality.
Political novice Yingluck Shinawatra went from virtual unknown to election victor in a matter of weeks after her brother, fugitive former leader Thaksin, endorsed her Puea Thai party’s candidacy, assuring voters she was his “clone.”
Her stellar rise, set to be formally completed this week, mirrors stories from across Asia, with a collection of women whose family names — and often the death of a male predecessor — propelled them to power.
The assassination of a husband saw Sri Lanka’s Sirimavo Bandaranaike become the world’s first female premier in 1960 and, more than two decades later, thrust Filipino housewife Corazon “Cory” Aquino into the limelight..... MORE
Source: The Daily Tribune
URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110804com3.html
0 comments
Post a Comment