Ali Taher

Muhammad Ali Taher Parasong (9 February 1961 – 3 January 2021) was an Indonesian politician from the National Mandate Party who was the member of the People's Representative Council from the Banten III electoral district from the 2014 Indonesian legislative election until his death.

Early life and education Taher was born in Lamakera, a small Muslim fishing village in the Christian-majority province of East Nusa Tenggara on 9 February 1961.

In the 1970s, Taher decided to migrate to Jakarta. With barely enough supplies, Taher departed a cargo boat when it reached Surabaya. From Surabaya, Taher departed to Jakarta, where he stayed in a house owned by his relatives.

After finishing his elementary education, Taher continued his junior high school education at the Muhammadiyah Junior High School in Slipi, where he graduated in 1977, and at the State High School No. 16 in West Jakarta, where he graduated in 1981.

Aside from his academic career, Taher was also involved in health management, where he became the Vice General Manager of the Jakarta Islamic Hospital from 1991 until 2001. He also owned the RUSLAM Cempaka Putih Jaya and Catur Darma Utama company.

After the restriction on political party was lifted in 1998, Taher joined the National Mandate Party. He held office as the party's deputy general secretary from 2005 until 2010, and as a member of the party's advisory body from 2020 until his death. Due to his political affiliation, Taher was appointed an expert staff to Minister of Forestry Zulkifli Hasan, who was also a National Mandate Party member.

In 2004 and 2009, Taher ran as a candidate from the People's Representative Council from the Banten II (2004) and Banten III (2009) electoral district. Taher obtained 10,466 He was reelected in the 2019 Indonesian general election with 71,495 of the votes.

During both of his terms, Taher was assigned to the Committee VIII of the People's Representative Council, which handles religion, social affairs, and the empowerment of women.

Family resilience bill Taher became notable

Taher stated that the creation of the bill was based on the high divorce rate in Indonesia and that the bill is "necessary to be passed so that it can be an alternative solution to social problems faced by families". Taher remarked that controversy over the bill would be reasonable.

The bill was criticized by various activists and politicians, including by Indonesian Solidarity Party politician Tsamara Amany. Amany criticized the bill for its interference with the private lives of Indonesia's citizens.

Death On 27 December 2020, Taher was diagnosed with COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. He opted to be treated at the Jakarta Islamic Hospital, reasoning that most of the COVID-19 patients brought to that hospital recovered. After his oxygen saturation briefly increased on 2 January, Taher's health deteriorated until he died at 14.00 on 3 January 2021.