Arcandra Tahar

Arcandra Tahar
5th Deputy Minister for Energy & Mineral Resources of Indonesia
In office
14 October 2016 – 20 October 2019
PresidentJoko Widodo
Vice PresidentMuhammad Jusuf Kalla
MinisterIgnasius Jonan
Preceded bySusilo Siswoutomo
16th Minister for Energy & Mineral Resources of Indonesia
In office
27 July 2016 – 15 August 2016
PresidentJoko Widodo
Vice PresidentMuhammad Jusuf Kalla
Preceded bySudirman Said
Succeeded byIgnasius Jonan
Personal details
Born (1970-10-10) 10 October 1970 (age 53)[1]
Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia
CitizenshipIndonesia (1970–present), United States (2012–2016)
Political partyIndependent
RelationsTaharuddin (father) and Zuraida (mother)
Children2
Alma materBandung Institute of Technology
Texas A&M University
ProfessionEngineer

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 in a cabinet reshuffle on 27 July 2016.[2]

Tahar was honourably discharged from the said post on 15 August 2016, following allegations that he was a U.S. citizen,[3] making him the minister with the shortest working period in Indonesian history (20 days).[4] He was later appointed Deputy Minister of the same.

Early life

Tahar was born on 10 October 1970 at Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, to Taharuddin and Zuraida.[5] He is of Minangkabau descent and a Muslim.[6][7]

Education

Studying there from 1989–1994, Tahar obtained a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the Bandung Institute of Technology, then went to work for Andersen Consulting. Subsequently, he enrolled at Texas A&M University 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.[8][9][10]

Citizenship controversy

Not long after being appointed as Minister, there was a rumour that Tahar had become a citizen of the United States in March 2012. Because Indonesia does not recognize dual nationality, this meant that Tahar would have lost his Indonesian nationality.[11] However, according to Tahar, he entered Indonesia using an Indonesian passport valid until 2017.[12]

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 on 15 August 2016 (his name appears on the Quarterly Publication of Individuals Who Have Chosen to Expatriate).[13][14] 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.[15]

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 ceased loss-of-nationality proceedings against him to prevent his statelessness and granted him a certificate of retention of citizenship on 1 September 2016. This made him once again eligible for Indonesian government appointments.[16]

  • Tahar's Indonesian passport.
    Tahar's Indonesian passport.
  • Tahar's US passport.
    Tahar's US passport.
  • Tahar's Indonesian certificate of retention of citizenship.
    Tahar's Indonesian certificate of retention of citizenship.

Subsequent political career

On 14 October 2016, Tahar was officially sworn in as Deputy Minister under Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ignasius Jonan.[17]

References

  1. ^ Begini Sosok Menteri Archandra di Mata Keluarga Tempo
  2. ^ Media, Kompas Cyber (2016-07-27). "Jokowi Umumkan "Reshuffle" Kabinet, Ini Susunan Menteri Baru - Kompas.com". KOMPAS.com. Retrieved 2018-05-28.
  3. ^ "Menteri ESDM Arcandra Tahar Diberhentikan Dengan Hormat - Poskota News". Poskota News (in Indonesian). 2016-08-15. Retrieved 2018-05-28.
  4. ^ Khabibi, Ikhwanul. "Cuma 20 Hari, Arcandra Tahar Menteri dengan Masa Kerja Terpendek dalam Sejarah". detiknews. Retrieved 2018-05-28.
  5. ^ Begini Sosok Menteri Archandra di Mata Keluarga Tempo
  6. ^ Agency, ANTARA News. "Arcandra Tahar : Saya Ini Orang Minang Asli". Antara News Sumbar. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  7. ^ "SPE - Indonesia/Java Section - Jan-Mar 2017 Issue" (PDF).
  8. ^ "Arcandra Tahar | LinkedIn".
  9. ^ Siapa Archandra Tahar, Menteri ESDM Kita? Kompasiana
  10. ^ Ini Sosok Archandra Tahar, Menteri ESDM Baru Liputan6
  11. ^ "Menteri Arcandra Ditimpa Rumor WN Amerika Serikat Dan Titipan Parpol". rmol.co. Archived from the original on 2016-08-15. Retrieved 2018-05-28.
  12. ^ Media, Kompas Cyber (2016-08-14). "Mensesneg: Arcandra Masuk Indonesia dengan Paspor Indonesia yang Masih Berlaku sampai 2017 - Kompas.com". KOMPAS.com. Retrieved 2018-05-28.
  13. ^ "KEDUDUKAN STATUS KEWARGANEGARAAN DALAM JABATAN PUBLIK (STUDI KASUS ARCANDRA TAHAR) SKRIPSI - PDF Free Download". docplayer.info. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  14. ^ "Quarterly Publication of Individuals, Who Have Chosen To Expatriate, as Required by Section 6039G". Federal Register. 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  15. ^ "Menteri ESDM Arcandra Tahar Diberhentikan Dengan Hormat - Poskota News". Poskota News (in Indonesian). 2016-08-15. Retrieved 2018-05-28.
  16. ^ Gumilang, Prima. "Kronologi Kembalinya Kewarganegaraan Indonesia Arcandra Tahar". nasional (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  17. ^ "Presiden Jokowi Lantik Jonan dan Archandra Tahar Sebagai Menteri dan Wakil Menteri ESDM - Tribunnews.com". Tribunnews.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2018-05-28.