Dora Marie Sigar
Dora Marie Sigar was an Indonesian nurse, activist, and homemaker. She was best known for being the mother of Prabowo Subianto, the eighth president of Indonesia.Early life
Sigar was born on 21 September 1921 in Langowan, Minahasa Regency, as the daughter of Philip Frederik Laurens Sigar, a government official and member of Volksraad, and Cornelie Emilia Maengkom. They both came from bureaucratic family. Sigar was of Minahasan and German descent.Education
At the age of 12, Sigar moved to the Netherlands to continue her education at the Christelijk Hogere Burgerschool in Utrecht. She already 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 outlook as an educated and dedicated woman.Career
Sigar met with Sumitro Djojohadikusumo, an economist, during a meeting organized by the Indonesia Christen Jongeren in 1945. He then became her patient after undergoing colon surgery due to tumor. In 1946, Sumitro returned to Indonesia, and Sigar followed a year later. They married on 7 January 1945 and had four children. After she had returned to Indonesia, Sigar became a homemaker and focused on her family, supporting her husband's career as an economist and political figure. When Sumitro served in the cabinet, Sigar became the backbone of the family, especially when her husband became a fugitive due to alleged political and economic cases.Personal life
Sigar married Sumitro Djojohadikusumo on 7 January 1945 in Matraman, East Jakarta, and had two sons, Prabowo Subianto, a politician who served as the eighth president of Indonesia, and Hashim Djojohadikusumo, a businessman; and two daughters, Biantiningsih Miderawati Djiwandono and Maryani Ekowati Lemaistre. They faced serious political challenges in the post-independence Indonesia, and their marriage lasted until Sumitro's death on 9 March 2001.Death
Sigar died at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore at the age of 87 on 22 December 2008 after being hospitalized for a year due to old age and lymphoma. She was buried at Tanah Kusir Cemetery on 23 December.