ad info
The Asiaweek Power 50 Asiaweek Online
ASIAWEEK Power 50 1999 > rankings > No. 21-26
 
 
 
Navigate
through the Asiaweek
Power 50


HOME

TO OUR READERS: Power in the Making (of a Special Issue)
THE GENERALS OF REFORM: The reformers call the shots

NO. 1: Two leading the charge for change
RANKING: Our annual listing of Asia's power players

KINGS: Above it all, the monarchs of Thailand and Cambodia
DOWN AND OUT: Who was taken off the list and why
CLOUT: The best and worst power movers in 1999
UP-AND-COMERS: The ones to watch in coming years
 
Lee Kuan Yew
21


SENIOR MINISTER, SINGAPORE
BORN Sept. 16, 1923 in Singapore
EDUCATION Cambridge University, Middle Temple, U.K.
FAMILY Married; one daughter, two sons (the deputy PM and the head of Singapore Telecom)
QUOTE "You are not going to get any change out of me - I am 75 years old," commenting on his harsh treatment of the opposition and prospects for a more open society.
POWER POINTS Lee's successor, Goh, is more popular and more respected than ever. But Lee's word still counts in the city-state - and beyond. The senior minister is pushing the government to take a tough line with the opposition. Lee has belittled Indonesian President B.J. Habibie, rattled Malaysian politicians and offered unsolicited advice on everything from Hanoi's relations with returning emigrés to Beijing's economic reforms. Just wait for the second volume of his memoirs.

Hun Sen
22


PRIME MINISTER, CAMBODIA
BORN April 4, 1952 in Kompong Cham, Cambodia
EDUCATION Lycee Indra Dhevi, Phnom Penh
HOBBIES Playing chess, composing songs
FAMILY Married; three sons, three daughters
QUOTE Asked Cambodians if they should "dig a hole and bury the past" after two top Khmer Rouge leaders surrendered in December.
POWER POINTS Hun Sen has what he has long sought: the premiership, won at the polls, shared with no one. In the past six months, Cambodia has recovered its seat at the U.N., joined ASEAN and nearly regained most of its foreign aid. The Khmer Rouge have been destroyed. But justice requires the leaders stand trial for their roles in the deaths of 1.7 million people. Hun Sen must also address the problems that diminish daily life - violence, hunger, unemployment, AIDS.

Abdurrahman Wahid
23


LEADER, NAHDLATUL ULAMA AND NATIONAL AWAKENING PARTY, INDONESIA
BORN Aug. 4, 1940 in East Java, Indonesia
EDUCATION Al-Azhar University, Egypt; Islamic University of Baghdad
HOBBIES Listening to classical music
FAMILY Married; four daughters
POWER POINTS As head of a 30-million member Muslim organization, he is Indonesia's most powerful Islamic leader. But Wahid is a committed secularist who condemned the violence against ethnic Chinese and Christians. His poor health (he has suffered a stroke and is nearly blind) hurts his presidential ambitions. Still, his political influence is unmatched.

Miyazawa Kiichi
24


FINANCE MINISTER, JAPAN
BORN Oct. 8, 1919 in Tokyo, Japan
EDUCATION Tokyo University
FAMILY Married; one daughter, one son
QUOTE "The worst is over, but we cannot expect a rapid recovery."
POWER POINTS Miyazawa put together massive spending and tax-reduction packages to reflate Japan. A $30-billion fund to help the neighbors is named after him. He is respected for his financial expertise and political savvy, but is tainted by his failure to respond adequately to the economic slump back in 1991 when he was PM.

Hassanal Bolkiah
25


SULTAN, PRIME MINISTER, FINANCE MINISTER, DEFENSE MINISTER, BRUNEI
BORN July 15, 1946 in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
EDUCATION Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin College, Brunei; Sandhurst, U.K.
HOBBIES Rarely plays polo now, but still pilots his own aircraft
FAMILY Two wives; 10 children
POWER POINTS The sultan lost money last year, yes, but he is still the third-richest person in the world, worth some $20 billion. His real worry is his brother Jefri, whose failed company, Amedeo, left a huge financial mess. The sultan designated his eldest son as his heir - even though many fear the prince isn't up to the job.

Megawati Sukarnoputri
26


LEADER, INDONESIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF STRUGGLE
BORN Jan. 23, 1947 in Jogjakarta, Indonesia
EDUCATION Padjajaran University, Indonesia
FAMILY Married; two sons, one daughter
HOBBIES Flower-arranging
E-MAIL pdi@insprint.net.id
POWER POINTS Megawati, a symbol of political repression in the Suharto era, is a frontrunner for the presidency. She has name recognition (she's the daughter of Indonesia's first president), populist appeal and a well-organized party. But Megawati is often aloof, passive or absent. She refused to debate her policies publicly. This kind of behavior irks those in Jakarta, but folks elsewhere see it as another sign of her power.

NEXT >>
 • Power 50 '99 HOME  • Asiaweek Home  • Current Issue  • Power 50 '98


Asiaweek features | Asiaweek home

AsiaNow