Suharto Era

Following Sukarno's downfall and the Transition to the New Order, Jakarta Governor, Lieutenant General Ali Sadikin, administered the city from 1966 to 1977. He is credited with rehabilitating public services, and also cleared out slum dwellers, banned rickshaws, and street pedlars. Finance sector reforms of the late-1980s saw Jakarta become the focus of real estate boom, which ended abruptly, however, in the 1997 East Asian Economic crisis. The city became the centre of violence, protest, and political manoeuvring as long-time president Suharto began to lose his grip on power. Tensions reached a peak in May 1998 when four students were shot dead at Trisakti University by security forces; four days of riots ensued resulting in an estimated 6,000 buildings damaged or destroyed, and the loss of 1,200 lives. The Chinese of the Glodok district were hardest hit and stories of rape and murder later emerged. The following years Jakarta was the centre of popular protest and national political instability, including several terms of ineffective Presidents, and a number Jemaah Islamiah-connected bombings. Jakarta is now witnessing a period of political stability and prosperity along a boom in construction.