Arcandra Tahar (born 10 October 1970) is an Indonesian politician. He was formerly Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources of the Republic of Indonesia on the Working Cabinet, replacing Sudirman Said who was dismissed by President

Joko Widodo Joko Widodo (; born 21 June 1961), often known mononymously as Jokowi, is an Indonesian politician, engineer, and businessman who served as the seventh president of Indonesia from 2014 to 2024. Previously a member of the Indonesian Democratic ...

in a cabinet reshuffle on 27 July 2016. Tahar was honourably discharged from the said post on 15 August 2016, following allegations that he was a

U.S. citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Consti ...

, making him the minister with the shortest working period in Indonesian history (20 days). He was later appointed Deputy Minister of the same.

Early life

Tahar was born on 10 October 1970 at

Padang Padang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of West Sumatra. It had a population of 833,562 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 909,040 at the 2020 Census;Bad ...

West Sumatra West Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean to the west, as well as the provinces of ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

, to Taharuddin and Zuraida. He is of

Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to: * Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people * Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center * Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see bel ...

descent and a Muslim.

Education

Studying there from 1989–1994, Tahar obtained a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the

Bandung Institute of Technology The Bandung Institute of Technology (; , abbreviated as ITB) is a public research university located in Bandung, Indonesia. It has produced many notable leaders in science, engineering, politics, business, academia, and culture. ITB is one of th ...

, then went to work for Andersen Consulting. Subsequently, he enrolled at

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

in 1996 for his Master's of Science in Ocean Engineering, successfully graduating in 1998. He remained at A&M as a candidate for the Doctorate of Philosophy in Ocean Engineering, which he obtained in 2001.

Citizenship controversy

Not long after being appointed Minister, there was a rumour that Tahar had become a citizen of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in March 2012. Because Indonesia does not recognize dual nationality, this meant that Tahar would have lost his Indonesian nationality. However, according to Tahar, he entered Indonesia using an Indonesian passport valid until 2017. On 12 August 2016, the U.S. embassy in Jakarta issued him with a Certificate of Loss of Nationality, which was endorsed by the

Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs ...

on 15 August 2016 (his name appears on the ''

Quarterly Publication of Individuals Who Have Chosen to Expatriate The Quarterly Publication of Individuals Who Have Chosen to Expatriate, also known as the Quarterly Publication of Individuals, Who Have Chosen to Expatriate, as Required by Section 6039G, is a publication of the United States Internal Revenue Ser ...

''). This meant that Tahar had relinquished his U.S. citizenship. That same day, Tahar was removed by President Joko Widodo and replaced by

Luhut Pandjaitan Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan ( EYD: ''Luhut Binsar Panjaitan'', born 28 September 1947) is an Indonesian politician, businessman, and retired four-star Army general who has been serving as Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment s ...

. On 30 August 2016, the U.S. embassy wrote a letter on Tahar's behalf, confirming his loss of U.S. nationality. As Tahar was no longer a U.S. citizen, the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights under

Yasonna Laoly Yasonna Hamonangan Laoly (born 27 May 1953) is the former Minister of Law and Human Rights of Indonesia,Ignasius Jonan Ignasius Jonan (born 21 June 1963) is an Indonesian professional who was the Indonesian Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources serving under President Joko Widodo's administration. He is a former Indonesian Minister of Transportation and a fo ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tahar, Arcandra 1970 births Living people People from West Sumatra Indonesian Muslims Working Cabinet (Joko Widodo) Bandung Institute of Technology alumni Texas A&M University alumni