Tengku M. Bahar was an Indonesian civil servant and politician who served as a member of the College of Delegates (College van Gedelegeerden) of the Provisional Council (Voorlopige Raad) of the Negara Sumatera Timur (N.S.T.). On 1 April 1950, following the honourable discharge of J. F. Keulemans, Tengku Bahar was appointed acting head of the Department of Cultural Affairs (wnd. hoofd van het Dep. van Cult. Zaken) of the N.S.T.
Role in the N.S.T.
The Department of Cultural Affairs under the N.S.T. encompassed Education, Indonesian Culture, Public Health, and Social Affairs. Tengku Bahar’s elevation to this position reflected the broader transfer of administrative responsibilities from Dutch to Indonesian personnel that characterised the final months of the N.S.T.’s existence, prior to its dissolution on 15 August 1950 and the incorporation of its territory — including the pre-war residencies of Atjeh, Tapanuli, and East Sumatra — into the autonomous province of North Sumatra.
Source
Oostkust van Sumatra-Instituut Mededeling No. 37: Deli-Figuren uit de jaren 1950 t/m 1952, compiled by Ir. F. J. J. Dootjes (Amsterdam, 1953).