Dora Marie Sigar

Dora Marie Sigar (21 September 1921 – 23 December 2008) was an Indonesian nurse, activist, and homemaker.

Early life and education

Sigar was born on 21 September 1921 in Minahasa, North Sulawesi, as the child of Philip Fredrik Laurens Sigar (1885–1946), a government official and member of Volksraad. At the age of 12, she moved to Netherlands to continued higher school education at Christelijk Hogere Burger School in Utrecht. Sigar showed her intelligence at a young age. There, she studied post-surgical nursing and became active in student activities advocating for Indonesian rights, shaping her career and outlook as an educated and dedicated woman.

Personal life

Sigar was met with Sumitro Djojohadikusumo, an economist, who became her patient after undergoing colon surgery. They married on 7 January 1947 and has had two sons, Prabowo Subianto (born 1951), a politician who served as the eighth president of Indonesia, and Hashim Djojohadikusumo (born 1954), a businessman, and two daughters, Bianti (born 1946) and Maryani Djojohadikusumo (born 1948). They faced serious political challenges in the post-independence period of Indonesia and their marriage lasted until Djojohadikusumo's death in March 2001.

Career

After returned to Indonesia, Sigar became a homemaker and focus on her family, and supporting her husband's career as an economist and political figure.

When Djojohadikusumo served in the government cabinet, Sigar played the role of the backbone of the family. Especially when Sumitro was a fugitive due to alleged political and economic cases.