Taufiq Kiemas

Taufiq Kiemas was an Indonesian politician and statesman who served as the Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly from 2009 to 2013. He was also the husband of Megawati Sukarnoputri, the fifth president of Indonesia. He was born in Bandar Lampung, Lampung, to a family of mixed Sumatran descent. He studied law at Sriwijaya University and joined the Indonesian National Student Movement. He married Megawati in 1973 and moved to Jakarta, where he became involved in the Indonesian Democratic Party. He was elected as a member of the People's Representative Council in 1992, but faced political repression during the New Order era. After the fall of Suharto in 1998, he rose to prominence as a senior figure in the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which won the 1999 legislative election. He supported his wife's vice-presidential and presidential bids in 1999 and 2001, respectively. He became the Father of the Nation from 2001 to 2004, when Megawati was the president. He was known for his outspokenness and charisma, as well as his advocacy for democracy, human rights, and national unity. He was re-elected as a member of the People's Representative Council in 2004 and 2009, representing West Java. In 2009, he was elected as the Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly, the highest position in the Indonesian legislative branch. He was instrumental in promoting the four pillars of the nation, namely Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, and Unity in Diversity. He also initiated various reforms and programs to strengthen the role and function of the assembly. He died in 2013 in Singapore, after suffering a heart attack. He was buried at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery in Jakarta with full state honors. He was widely respected and mourned by the Indonesian people and received tributes from many national and international leaders. He was also the subject of several books and documentaries that chronicled his life and achievements.