The Fifth Season
23 Stirling Crescent, Glen Waverley, Victoria 3150, AustraliaÂ
Fax: +61 3 9545 1742
Revised:Â February 2003
First Published:Â December, 1998 as The Fifth Season
This edition published 2009
© This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any person without the written permission of the copyright owner.
ISBN: 9781877059179
Kerry B. Collison
followed a distinguished period of service in Indonesia as a member of the Australian military and government intelligence services during the turbulent period known as âThe Years of Living Dangerously'. This was followed by a successful business career spanning thirty years throughout Asia.
Recognized for his chilling predictions in relation to Asia's evolving political and economic climate through his books, he brings unique qualifications to his historically-based vignettes and intriguing accounts of power-politics and the shadowy world of governments' clandestine activities. Further information is available on the Internet site: http://www.sidharta.com.auÂ
Laskar
Jihad
and
Jemaah Islamiyah
, both linked to Osama bin Laden (spelled bin Ladem in
The
Fifth Season
) and responsible not only for the slaughter of many thousands of Christians in the eastern Indonesian provinces, but the incomprehensible attack on innocent tourists and Balinese which resulted in the loss of so many lives, many of the victims Australian.
It is now an accepted fact that Osama bin Laden and his
Al Qaeda
had established a sound network throughout Indonesia, parts of Malaysia, and in the southern Philippines, with the intention of supporting the realization of an Islamic state that would embrace all of these nations as one.
Today, in Indonesia, hardly a week goes by without another bombing or news or yet another massacre in Aceh, Maluku, West Papua, the Celebes or Indonesian Borneo, Kalimantan, and, sadly, the burning of mosques in Lombok or the desecration of temples in Bali. Mass graves have recently been discovered containing thousands murdered by the brutal Indonesian Special Forces, whose American trained leadership will, undoubtedly, escape judgment by international tribunals such as those established to prosecute Balkan war criminals.
Over the past two years Australia's own political landscape has changed, influenced by the threat of a flood of refugees entering its waters via the vast Indonesian archipelago to the north.
The Fifth Season's
premise that one day Australia could, as a result of the destabilization of Indonesia, be inundated with a massive wave of refugees seeking asylum is no longer a matter of fiction, but an event which has become inevitable as that great country continues to disintegrate socially, politically and economically.
In 1998, when Indonesia's political climate became confused, then convulsed violently, many of the Archipelago's two hundred millions sensed that the long-awaited winds of change carried the elusive promise of reform, and a political shift towards democracy.
Pancaroba
, the brief and often erratic time which conjoins the tropical Wet and Dry, is accepted in Equatorial Asia as the Fifth Season, and is known as the transitional climatic period when weather patterns become confused and turbulent.
Often, during these uncertain periods omens become apparent, tempting people whose cultures have been so deeply rooted in mysticism, spiritualism and animism through the millenniums to succumb to even greater superstition than would be their norm.
This is an account based on factual events, and the men and women who struggled to survive the bitter turmoil of Indonesia's Fifth Season.
This simple glossary includes
Bahasa
Indonesia words used throughout the novel and may assist readers who have not yet been fortunate enough to visit the beautiful archipelago and become familiar with its multi-faceted culture and language.
ABRI Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Indonesian Armed Forces
ADRI Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Indonesian Army
ALRI Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Indonesian Navy
AURI Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Indonesian Air Force
Allahu Akbar    Â
God is Great - (Moslem chant)
Allah           Â
God
ANZUS Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Australian, N.Z., U.S. Defence Treaty
ASEAN Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Association of South East Asian Nations
Asalamalaikum  Â
welcome greeting
babat-pedas    Â
chili tripe
Bahasa        Â
language
bangsat        Â
arsehole, bastard
Bapak         Â
respectful address to an older male, father
batik           Â
printed cloth
becak          Â
three-wheeled pedicab
bule           Â
derogatory name for white people
CIA Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Central Intelligence Agency
COMINT Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Communications Intelligence
cukong         Â
middle-man, broker
DIA Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Defense Intelligence Agency
dukun          Â
unlicensed herbalist who casts spells
El Nino        Â
devastating weather pattern.
Fatwah        Â
religious statement of condemnation
Golok          Â
field knife of sword length
ha-Mossad le-Modiin ule
Tafkidim Meyuhadim  Â
Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks
Haji            Â
one who has completed the pilgrimage toÂ
Mecca
hati goreng      Â
fried liver
Ibu             Â
mother, respectful form for older woman
kain batik        Â
sarong
Kalimantan      Â
Indonesian Borneo
KOPASSUS Â Â Â Â Â
Indonesian Army Special Forces
KOSTRAD Â Â Â Â Â Â
Indonesian Army Strategic Forces
kretek           Â
clove cigarette
La Nina         Â
El Nino's twin sister - opposing weatherÂ
pattern
Lohor           Â
one of the five prayer periods, around 1330Â
hours.
magrib          Â
sunset
mas             Â
friend, you
Mufti
Muharam    Â
Islamic religious/political party
nasi              Â
rice
nasi goreng      Â
fried rice
NSA Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
National Security Agency
Nusantara       Â
early name for Indonesia ( Java to the east)Â
Ombar-Wetar     Â
deep submarine trench off Timor
Oom            Â
uncle - idiomatic term for older male
Ora Et Labora     Â
a school in Jakarta
Pancaroba       Â
The Fifth Season
Pak              Â
abbreviation of Bapak
Pancasila        Â
the five basic principles underlyingÂ
Indonesian life
paru-paru         Â
lung
pribumi           Â
indigenous person - son of the soil
Perkarya Party     Â
(Perkumpulan Karya) Workers' Party
rakyat            Â
the people, the masses
sambal           Â
sharp spice
sate             Â
meat, chicken, cooked on skewers
Selamatan        Â
blessing ceremony
Selamat Pagi      Â
good morning
selamat datang    Â
welcome
sialan! Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
damn!
surat-kaleng       Â
anonymous note
terima kasih        Â
thank you