Robert Go, Jakarta – It's a tale of two "sisters", and of how their abilities to "keep it together" over the next two years would affect the rest of Asean.

One wears a kebaya and may not understand what "dirty float" is, while the other looks smart in business suits and has a PhD in economics.

The similarities between presidents Megawati Sukarnoputri of Indonesia and Gloria Arroyo of the Philippines, however, are striking.

They capitalised on the fame of their fathers – Sukarno and Diosdado Macapagal – as they built their political careers. Both had reputations for silence as vice-presidents, and rose to the top only when their predecessors were ousted following corruption charges.

Since taking power, both have rewarded their respective militaries – whose leaders backed them – and been named "valuable allies" in the United States' war against terror.

But the most important parallel right now is how the two powerful women have failed to solve many of their countries' dire economic, social and political problems.

And as they hurtle towards presidential elections in 2004, it is likely that both would give more time and resources to fighting political melees than to tackling widespread poverty or to bringing separatists into the fold peacefully.

What's happening now in Jakarta and Manila? Joblessness affects an estimated 90 million Indonesians. Eighty per cent of households here make and spend less than US$100 a month. The view from Manila is bleak, too. Recent polls revealed that nearly 60 per cent of Filipinos consider themselves poor and 52 per cent said life has never been tougher.

Ms Megawati has the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), which wants an independent Aceh state, in the west, and separatists in West Papua to the east to contend with. Mrs Arroyo, meanwhile, still has the Abu Sayyaf guerillas intent on kidnappings and bombings as a means of fighting the government.

Now trouble brews in both Jakarta and Manila, as rival politicians gear up to make their own bids for power and court voters by sniping at the two women's heels.

And history has shown that whenever pure politicking takes precedence over economics and social reforms, investors get scared off and the people get disgruntled.

Hopefully, between now and 2004, Asean's two female leaders can keep at least one hand on the wheel of their respective governments, while they use the other to bat away their challengers.

Their failures to do so would not only keep down Indonesia and the Philippines, but also give the rest of the neighbourhood a bad name.