[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).

Tahar was born on 10 October 1970 at Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, to Taharuddin and Zuraida.

[6][7] 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.

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.