- Dewi Sukarno
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Ratna Sari Dewi Soekarno File:Dewi Soekarno.jpg Born Naoko Nemoto; 根本七保子
February 6 1940
Tokyo, JapanKnown for Soekarno's wife Children Kartika Sari Dewi Soekarno Dewi Sukarno (デヴィ・スカルノ Devi Sukaruno), born Naoko Nemoto (根本 七保子 Nemoto Naoko, born February 6, 1940), is a Japanese socialite and one of the wives of former Indonesian leader Sukarno.
Contents
Biography
Dewi Sukarno met the 57-year-old Sukarno when she was 19, when the then-Indonesian president was on a state visit to Japan. Prior to becoming Sukarno's wife, she was an art student and entertainer. There were rumors of her having worked as a bar hostess, but she has repeatedly denied this. She had one daughter, Kartika, with Sukarno.[1] Sukarno was overthrown by General Suharto in a 1967 coup, and died three years later.
Dewi Sukarno, who moved to Europe after Sukarno's ouster, has lived in many different countries, including Switzerland, France, and the United States. As of 2008 she resides in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, where she lives in a spacious, four-storey, memorabilia-filled residence.[2]
Dewi Sukarno is known for her outspoken personality. She is often referred to as Dewi Fujin (デヴィ夫人 Devi Fujin, literally "Mrs. Dewi" or "Madame Dewi"). Her full name is Ratna Sari Dewi Sukarno (ラトナ・サリ・デヴィ・スカルノ Ratona Sari Devi Sukaruno), but she is commonly referred to simply as "Madame Dewi". She made appearances in the news media after the January 2008 death of her husband's successor Suharto, blaming him for instituting a repressive regime and likening him to Cambodian despot Pol Pot.[3]
As of 2008 Dewi Sukarno runs her own jewelry and cosmetics businesses, and is active in charity fund raising. She makes occasional appearances on Japanese TV shows, and has served as a judge for beauty contests, such as the 2005 Miss International pageant held in Tokyo.
Controversies
In January 1992, Dewi became involved in a much-publicized altercation in a party in Aspen, Colorado, United States with fellow international socialite and heiress Minnie Osmeña, granddaughter of a former president of the Philippines. Tensions already existed between the two, beginning with an exchange at another party several months before, where Dewi was heard to laugh when Osmena declared her political plans, among which was the desire to run for the office of Philippine vice president. The Aspen spat, reportedly triggered by an allusion made by Osmena to Dewi's past, culminated in Dewi hitting Osmena in the face with a wine glass, leaving a gash that needed 37 stitches to repair.[4] Dewi was jailed for 34 days in Aspen for disorderly conduct after the incident.[1]
Two years later, she posed for a book of photographs that was published in her native Japan (well known as "madame de syuga"), where some of the images featured her partially naked, and others showed what appeared to be tattoo-like body art. The book, while not distributed in Indonesia, was immediately banned, with many Indonesians feeling offended by what was perceived to be the besmirching of the Sukarno name and legacy.[1]
Political Activities
After leaving Indonesia after the 1967 coup that ousted her husband, Dewi has had little involvement with Indonesian politics.[5] She has worked with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), and has expressed the wish to help refugees as well as people living under regimes like North Korea. When asked to comment about the reign of Megawati Sukarnoputri, her stepdaughter, who also served as a leader of Indonesia, all she replied was, "I think Megawati is gradually doing whatever she can. It's not easy being a woman president in a Muslim country."[2]
Appearances in Pop Culture
In Nerima Daikon Brothers the character Yukika Karakuri/Deb Sukarno/"Lady Deb" is a parody of Dewi Sukarno.
In Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei "President Sukarno" is on a list of "impressive things that are overshadowed"; "Madame Dewi" is what overshadows him.
On Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende she had a cameo appearance during the 2009 No Laughing Hotelman Batsu Game as a taxi driver.
References
- ^ a b c Mydans 1998.
- ^ a b "A Life in the Day of Madame Dewi". Japan Today. http://www.japantoday.com/jp/newsmaker/165.[dead link]
- ^ AFP 2008-01-28.
- ^ Lo 2003.
- ^ Sukarno 2003.
- Cited sources
- Mydans, Seth (February 17, 1998). "Jakarta Journal; Weighty Past Pins the Wings of a Social Butterfly". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/17/world/jakarta-journal-weighty-past-pins-the-wings-of-a-social-butterfly.html. Retrieved 2011-08-15.
- "Suharto was Indonesia's Pol Pot: Sukarno widow". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. AFP. January 28, 2008. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-01-28/suharto-was-indonesias-pol-pot-sukarno-widow/1025784.
- Lo, Ricardo F.. "What's the Buzz". Philippine Star. http://www.newsflash.org/2003/05/sb/sb003097.htm. Retrieved 2011-08-15.
- Sukarno, Dewi (February 2003). "New York on S5,000 a Day". Harper's: 20. http://www.harpers.org/archive/2003/02/0079478.(subscription required)
External links
- Dewi Sukarno, JapanZone
- Dewi Sukarno at the Internet Movie Database
Categories:- 1940 births
- Living people
- Cosmetics businesspeople
- Expatriates in Switzerland
- Indonesia–Japan relations
- Indonesian expatriates
- Indonesian people imprisoned abroad
- Indonesian socialites
- Indonesian television personalities
- Japanese businesspeople
- Japanese expatriates in France
- Japanese expatriates in Indonesia
- Japanese expatriates in Switzerland
- Japanese expatriates in the United States
- Japanese philanthropists
- Japanese socialites
- Japanese television personalities
- People convicted of assault
- People from Tokyo
- Prisoners and detainees of Colorado
- Spouses of Presidents of Indonesia
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