Taufiq was born to the couple Tjik Agus Kiemas and Hamzathoen Roesyda. His father was from South Sumatra (a Palembang descent), while his mother was of Minangkabau descent of West Sumatra-origin. He was the head of his mother's family in Tanah Datar, West Sumatra, with the title Datuk Basa Batuah. Taufiq was educated at the Faculty of Law of Sriwijaya University and was an active member of the Indonesian National Student Movement (GMNI), when he was a student.
Marriage
In 1973, he married Megawati Sukarnoputri, the daughter of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno. The marriage was Megawati's third marriage, and together they had a daughter, Puan Maharani, who is currently serving as the Speaker of the People's Representative Council. Taufiq also had two step-sons from Megawati's previous marriage.
Now as one of the important figures in the party, he serves as Chairman of the Central Advisory Council, and was re-elected as a member of the People's Representative Council for the 2009–2014 period from the Electoral District of West Java II. Taufiq was the leader of the PDI-P's Muslim religious wing.[2] He was a well-known participant in PDI-P affairs, often commenting on national matters such as preparations for the 2014 legislative and presidential elections in Indonesia and sometimes differing with his wife on certain issues concerning the management and leadership of the party.[3]
Health and death
Taufiq Kiemas suffered from heart and kidney problems. He had bypass surgery in Australia in 2000, another operation in 2005 to install a pacemaker, and another to replace the pacemaker battery. Taufiq had also been hospitalized on a number of occasions after the treatment.[4]
Taufiq wrote a number of books, most notably his biography, Gelora Kebangsaan Tak Kunjung Padam ("The National Spirit Remains Alive") which recounted both episodes of his life and his thoughts about various national issues. It was launched in December 2012 to celebrate his 70th birthday.[7]