This paper shows how Jakarta has been engaged in an unprecedented politics of memory since the collapse of Suharto's regime. It argues that the nationalist discourses of the city dressed in the ideology of 'nationalist urbanism' no longer appear to hold the influence that they once did in the face of the changing regime. This situation has given rise to a sense of 'looseness' at the centre, which in turn has encouraged both the government and the citizens to safeguard their space in the city by ways of remembering and forgetting the past as well as the present.
The current interest in the 'clean and green' that has become part of urban governmentality in Indonesia's metropolis is illustrative of the practice of becoming a citizen of Jakarta today. The ongoing demand to reclaim and produce green space, however, entails the displacement of those who are considered to be blocking the success of urban green initiatives. This paper points to ways in which contemporary forms of power are built on the premise that a green environment requires individuals to reconfigure themselves to gain social legitimacy. It shows how the greening of Jakarta can be understood as part of the evolving technology of governance associated with postauthoritarian Indonesia.
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