In India today, when we have women leaders such as 'Jayalalitha' and 'Mayavati' the future does not look very promising at all. There is no way other than looking into the past. Indeed we had Mrs Gandhi, Mrs Vijay Laxmi Pandit, Sarojini Naidu, and a few more but here we share the exemplary leadership of a courageous women - Corazon Aquino. She fought dictatorship in Philippines, restored democracy and became president and after six years resigned to take up social projects and to look after her grandchildren. She survived seven coup attempts in six years tenure. The 'Time' magazine, which has already conducted leadership survey - 100 leaders of 20th century, has also conducted similar exercise for Asian leadership. There is only one lady out of 20 and she is CORAZON AQUINO ex-president of Philippines.

To the dismay of the soldier who was driving Corazon Aquino to her swearing-in ceremony in 1986, the housewife who would be President insisted on stopping at red lights to let civilian traffic pass. Eager to signal a break from the past, she chose to abandon the imperial-style motorcades of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos.
'Time' Aug'99

The salient features of her leadership are:

1. She left her office voluntarily, a rare gesture, seldom shown by any head of state.
2. She restored democratic institutions which her predessor Marcos had destroyed, promulgated a constitution designed to be dictator proof, which still survives.
3. She took number of unpopular decisions even by defying her core supporters, if they were in the interest of the nation

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