JOHN LARA'S THE SAMARITAN ESSAYS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
THE SAMARITAN ESSAYS QUESTIONS
Despite facing many difficulties, people who strive to bring positive change usually succeed. Using Nicole in John Lara's The Samaritan, write an
essay in support of this statement.
Nicole, the Ethics and Innovation teacher at
Sagrada Secondary School, is the embodiment of an unwavering moralist
determined to bring positive change to Maracas Municipality. Despite facing
serious resistance from the leaders, her effort bears fruit when the corrupt
leaders are apprehended. Resoluteness in doing the right things brings victory.
Nicole stands firm when the Mayor of Maracas Municipality
orders for a halting of activities related to the Samaritan App and her
firmness pays off. The aim of the Samaritan App is to expose corruption and
agitate for the prosecution of the culprits. When he realises that the App may
expose his failures, ineptness and corrupt deeds and possibly lead to his
prosecution, Mossi-oa-Tunya declines to launch it or award Alvita and Montano,
the brains behind the innovation. He alleges that the App may turn out to be a
platform for misinformation, lies and witch-hunt. Although he acknowledges that
the school is doing a good job in nurturing visionaries and innovators, he has
jitters about giving the Samaritan App the green light. The skit by Nicole, Alvita
and Montano clearly demonstrates that the App can be used to share sensitive
information like the Municipal Procurement Process. The Mayor is hesitant to
allow its commissioning. In an attempt to stop the operations of the App, he
claims he needs time to think, and will launch the App at his own convenient
time. He orders Nicole and Principal Narine to halt all activities regarding the
App until his office gives them the clearance. He demands that they write to
the Ministry of Education citing fundamental errors. Nicole firmly rebuts that the
App passed all tests done by senior officers at the Ministry of Education and
skillful software engineers. The Mayor tries to intimidate Nicole when he
states that he is Mossi-oa-Tunya: the smoke that thunders and a Mayor with
express mandate by the people of Maracas. He raises his voice and points his
walking stick at Nicole. He demands that she pens the letter and send a copy to
him in an hour’s time. Nicole is adamant that the matter is beyond her since the
App was taken over by the National Information and Communication Technology Corporation
and she determinedly says that she will only do what is right. Madam Principal
confirms Nicole's resolute nature when she claims she is bound to ignore the Mayor’s
orders since she usually doesn’t compromise on what she thinks is right. In the
long run, Mayor Mossi fails to intimidate Nicole and operations of the App are
not halted. Mossi is exposed as a corrupt leader and is eventually arrested.
Nicole’s determination pays off.
Moreover, Narine, the principal, admonishes Nicole
hoping that she would abandon her quest
for a better Maracas but Nicole remains steadfast until the end when her effort
bears victory. The principal acknowledges that the Samaritan App has sent
shockwaves across the municipality, driving leaders into terrible panic. She advises
Nicole to think long and hard about the Samaritan App. Narine says she is
single-handedly focused on providing students under her care with quality
education. She vows that she will not allow any teacher to deviate from this
course. She appears to be persuading Nicole to stop the operations of the
Samaritan App. She advises her, as a senior administrator and her mother’s age mate
, to know which battles to wage, which ones to avoid, and those to defer. She avers
that a young girl like Nicole cannot battle against an elephant like Mossi. Standing
firm, Nicole tells her boss that an elephant that kills a rat is not a hero.
She also wonders if the principal would rather that they abandon the Samaritan,
an ingenious innovation, with great potential of improving the Municipality to
appease an egocentric political class. The principal offers no support for
Nicole. She instead chooses to step back. This does not dampen Nicole's spirit.
The principal feels Nicole is a headstrong girl. She is fed up. She says she is
not a house help or a secretary to keep receiving calls on behalf of Nicole.
She also feels threatened when the leaders call saying that they are visiting Nicole
at school. The principal feels that the App will not change anything and
counsels Nicole with the wise words that, “The bamboo that bends is stronger
than the oak that resists”. Nicole does not heed even when Narine adds that, “If
you can’t turn the wind, turn the sails”. Nicole stays firm. She cannot give in
and allow the plunder of public resources. Her resoluteness pays off when the
leaders including Bembe and Mossi are arrested by Tajo, the head of Anti-Corruption
Investigations Bureau. Surely, resoluteness results in victory.
Thirdly, Nicole chooses to stand firm when the
Inspector General of police, Bembe, tries to unnerve her by arresting her on
trumped-up charges. When Mossi and Bembe realise that the Samaritan App was
being used to air their dirty linen in public, they plan to visit and talk to
Nicole. Mossi correctly points out that Nicole may be a very difficult person.
Nicole is determined to do the right thing. Bembe insists that he has a way of
making people switch allegiances. Bembe has a ploy to accuse Nicole of theft of
school furniture, a computer or a generator. He plans to get people to steal
the school generator and accuse Nicole
of the crime then ask the judge to put her in. True to his word, Bembe goes to Sagrada
Secondary School to arrest Nicole citing a wide range of accusations including
disobeying authorities, being located at the scene of a murder and stealing the
school generator. Nicole is not intimidated. She knows that her obligation is
to do what is right, not to obey leaders blindly. A leader cannot compel her to
do the wrong things. Her choice to do the right thing is not negotiable. Even
in the face of an impending jail term, she is not subdued by Bembe's
preposterous fabricated charges. She tells him that it will get him nowhere and
that that will be the darkest day of his career. Bembe orders the police to
handcuff Nicole and the strong-willed teacher resists until she is overpowered.
Bembe is only but trying to intimidate Nicole to stop pursuing the activities
of the Samaritan App claiming it poses grave danger to society. Nicole replies
that she is but a simple teacher trying to do what is right. While Bembe posits
that Nicole has an evil plan, she insists that The Samaritan App has no
personal agenda and is a people’s platform of protecting and promoting public
good. When she is arraigned in court, thousands of protesters from all walks of
life mob the court precincts in solidarity with Nicole, leaving Bembe with an
egg on his face. Furthermore, his bosses summon him over the impropriety.
Eventually, Bembe is arrested for his involvement in a wide array of crimes and
abuse of office. Nicole’s determination to do good ends in victory.
Apart from that, Alvita and Montano try but fail
to plead with miss Nicole to give up the Samaritan App and she tells them to
stand firm with the App and this pays off when the corrupt leaders are
arrested. When the unscrupulous leaders are whisked away by the police, Alvita
cries triumphantly that, “You can never escape from the consequences of your
actions”. These are the exact words of the resolute miss Nicole. The apprehensive
students are the brains behind the Samaritan App. But they are now worried that
as a result of the Mayor’s ultimatum, the App may get their beloved teacher in
trouble. Nicole insists that the Samaritan App is an excellent platform for
them to speak out against wrongdoing and share ideas that will make their lives
better. The leaders of Maracas municipality are like the priests and Levite who
ignore the injured Samaritan. They do not care about the people. Neither do
they come to their aid. They only pursue their own selfish interests. The
students still think that miss Nicole is in grave danger. The teacher is determined
to stand for a cause that can bring a better tomorrow for everyone. The Samaritan has been all over the media platforms and Alvita thinks it has grown so big that it is no longer good for them anymore. The two
students suggest that she transfers to a different school. Nicole asks them not
to chicken out at every trial or threat. They must stand firm and demand that
their leaders do the right thing. She demands that they are not discouraged and
that they stay brave. This is not an effort in futility. The corrupt leaders
including Mayor Mossi are eventually arrested.
Also, Nicole remains steadfast when the Mayor
approaches her and tries to beg for mercy seemingly penitent of his evil acts and
attempting to sway Nicole to eliminate some negative information about him from
the Samaritan App. The Mayor starts by apologizing to Nicole for being a bit
hard on her earlier. He wants to have an honest talk with her. He concedes that
he made some mistakes and is ostensibly there to make the clean breast of
everything and to seek Nicole’s understanding and help. Nicole is taken aback
by the change of heart from the initially overbearing Mossi-oa-Tunya, the
untouchable smoke that thunders. He even offers Nicole a bribe. He asks her to
quote her figure. Looking straight at him, Nicole affirms in a firm voice that
she can never be part of such a scheme. She is disappointed that a man
entrusted to fight corruption is instead the chief perpetrator. Stuttering, the
penitent leader claims he was offering to invest in the Samaritan App. Mossi
feels he is being wrongly accused on the Samaritan. Nicole reminds him that as
the overall leader the buck stops with him. Mossi tries to exonerate himself by
slinging mud at his fellow politicians for instance Ramdaye, deputy Mayor, for
misappropriation of funds; Ted King, the secretary of Health and Environment;
Seymour, the secretary in charge of Planning and Development and Judge Ian
Jaden. The Mayor claims that he cannot do anything about the rot in the
municipality, inadvertently admitting his ineptness. Nicole notes that the
whole Municipal Council is a criminal enterprise. Mossi admits that he steals
at most three slices of the loaf meant for the people. He points fingers at
everyone else for eating the whole loaf including the wrapping and the vendor
where applicable. Nicole resolutely suggests that all those he accuses are
answerable to him. When he realizes that Nicole wasn’t going to be swayed by
his emotional pleas, he turns to threats. He demands that she deletes every
post that cast him in the negative light or else she will discover why he is
called Mossi-oa-Tunya: the smoke that thunders. Nicole remains resolute to do
the right thing. Eventually, Mossi-oa-Tunya, the smoke that thunders, is
arrested by the anti-corruption police. Indeed, standing firm in doing the
right thing brings positive results.
Lastly, the leaders of Maracas Municipality
attempt to appease Nicole by playing power politics and offering her a high
office in the Municipality but she declines the offer, standing her ground
until the felonious leaders are arrested. The eight leaders meet at the Chamber
of the Principal Judge with the aim of saving their skins from The Samaritan.
They have assembled to figure out a way to escape being thrown behind bars at Baneta
Express Prison. Basdeo suggests that they talk to Nicole. Mossi warns him that
she is very firm. He tried appealing to her mercy, she couldn’t budge. He tried
intimidation and still she couldn’t yield. Basdeo suggests that they give her a
powerful position at the municipal council. They plan to let her tell them the
position she wants and voila! she becomes part and parcel of the municipal
leadership. Jaden suggests that they bring her a box of chocolate as an
incentive but Mossi cautions him that she won’t take it. When they meet Nicole,
they all grovel. Jaden seeks for forgiveness for intruding into Nicole’s busy
schedule. Bembe apologizes profusely for arresting Nicole. Mossi also
apologizes for treading on her toes. Although she is puzzled, Nicole accepts
the apologies and also expresses regret in the event that she offended any of
them. She politely declines Ted's offer of a golden ring. The leaders admit
serious mistakes in the leadership that have brought the Municipality to a
crisis. They avow that the ship is sinking. They request Nicole’s contribution
in enhancing service delivery to the people and she accepts. They ask her to
name the senior position she would like to occupy. Jaden proposes that she
should assume the role of Director General. Nicole declines the offer telling
the gentleman that they don’t need new laws, contracts or positions but a
change of spirit among the people and especially among the leaders. Nicole
tells them that to salvage the bleak situation they should do the right thing;
that is, make a U-turn about dipping their fingers in the public till and
pursuing personal gains. At this point, her efforts bring good tidings when the
corrupt officials are arrested and escorted to the Anti-Corruption
investigation Bureau.
In conclusion, triumph is a result of an
unwavering spirit especially when we champion for good. Nicole's determination
to stamp out corruption in Maracas Municipality and to have the disreputable
leaders brought to book ends in a jackpot when they are all arrested signaling
a new dawn.
THE SAMARITAN ESSAYS QUESTIONS
When citizens elect selfish leaders,
they end up suffering. Write an essay in support of this claim basing
your illustrations on John Lara's The Samaritan.
Some leaders
only care about their selfish interests. When such self-seeking leaders are
elected, they abuse their powers and break the law with impunity. They engage
in vices such as corruption, drug trafficking, murder, gang warfare,
misappropriation of public funds etc. The citizens who vote them in bear the
brunt of such cruelty, lack of integrity and inefficiency.
Ramdaye, the Deputy Mayor of Maracas municipality, is a selfish man whose corrupt ways lead
to the suffering of many citizens of Maracas. Despite knowing that he has never
accomplished anything in his life other than swindling people, the people
overwhelmingly vote for him. He is in charge of the Department of Physical Infrastructure.
He uses this position to award his companies and those of his relatives tenders
for construction of roads, bridges, pavements, drains and water courses. They
misappropriate the funds and do a shoddy job. He is also in charge of construction
and maintenance of secondary roads. Due to his ineptness, the workers do such a
shoddy job that the poor quality roads look like abandoned battlefield
destroyed by bombs. Even tractors can get stuck on such roads! (P62) Moreover, citizens
still elect him even when they know him as a conman who prints fake title deeds
and sells the same plot to as many as ten people. He sold Bembe, the Inspector
General of police, land that belongs to Maracas university. That is how he has
earned his livelihood all these years. He has destroyed lives of countless people
because of his greed (P42). When he learned about the “Rodengate Affair”, in which
justice Ian Jaden was rearing rats and introducing them into farms to undermine
local production in order to import corn through his company, Prime Orchard Limited,
he is silenced by bribery. He is given money and shares in the company. His family
is also doing all Municipal Council projects that fall under his Department denying
deserving citizens a chance to offer their prowess and earn an honest coin (P62). Broken drains pose a serious health hazard for citizens. Thus,
residents continue to suffer under his watch (P33). Indeed, citizens suffer when they
elect rogue leaders like Ramdaye.
Ted King is
also a self-seeking leader who causes anguish to the citizens of Maracas Municipality owing to his selfish nature. He is the Municipal Secretary for the Department
of Health and Environment. Despite his infamous reputation as a pirate and a
nuisance to the public, people vote for him overwhelmingly into the Municipal Council.
The youth and all are excited by his evil hairstyle, ripped jeans, bangles,
necklaces and other adornments. After inviting bids for construction of health
centres, Ted ensures companies associated with his relatives and friends win
the tenders. He conspires with them and steals all the money allotted for the
project and ends up putting up site offices that resemble cowsheds (P64). Citizens suffer because there are no drugs in hospital because of theft (P9, 91). A former
DJ, Ted was responsible for noise pollution and pirating other people’s music.
Citizens, tired of the nuisance and agony, complained ceaselessly. Furthermore,
he is illiterate and spews gibberish on the floor of the chamber. He reeks of
illicit brew like one who sleeps in a brewery or a nightclub. Together with Seymour,
he is responsible for supplying air to the Municipal Council. This means that
their companies receive huge sums of public funds without rendering any service.
He further supports Seymour’s rallying call that they reallocate the budget in
order to use public funds to fight the corruption cases against them. The poor waste disposal system with garbage strewn all over pose serious health hazard (P33). Citizens
who vote in leaders like Ted end up in anguish since the self-seeking leader
does not deliver services to them instead they embezzle funds for their selfish
interests.
Thirdly, Seymour,
is the self-seeking secretary to the Municipal Department of Planning and Development.
In spite of his moral failings, the people elected him overwhelmingly. He
bribes people using his drug money to buy his way into office. To get building
plans approval in Maracas municipality, people simply bribe Seymour and the
rotten Inspectorate Unit under him. Proper building standards are not adhered
to thus putting the lives of the people living in such buildings at great risk.
Never mind that Maracas is in a seismically active area. The people have also
suffered under his callous leadership since anyone who dares bat an eyelid ends
up disappearing mysteriously (P66). He runs a murderous gang known Black Swan Gang
which is responsible for shootings and violence. People read about this in the
papers but they still elect him. Apart from that, he demands that Mossi justifies
reallocation on the need to address the issue of the terrible waste disposal system
in the town. It is a serious health hazard for the citizens since the garbage is
strewn all over the place and the drains are broken. Instead of fixing the problem,
he wants them to use the funds to fight off the imminent corruption cases against
them (P33). Seymour is also known for drug trafficking. He has ruined the lives of
many children who have dropped out of school because of drugs, some have become
cabbages, some roam aimlessly or have lost their minds and worse still others
have died because of drugs (P66-67). He also has a fake law certificate that he uses to
intimidate people with. His whole family including his two children and wife
have been ruined by drugs. Surely, people who vote for such evil leaders can
only blame themselves for the agony their leaders put them through.
The mayor of Maracas municipality, Mossi-oa-Tunya, is
also a selfish leader whose avarice results in untold suffering for the
subjects under him. He claims that he was voted in by hundreds of thousands of people (P17).
All these people voted for him in spite of his iniquity. Using his powers, he tries
to halt the operations of The Samaritan App, an innovation used to fight corruption
and other vices in Maracas Municipality. He tries intimidate Ms. Narine, the Principal,
and Ms. Nicole the Ethics and Innovations teacher at Sagrada Secondary School. In
the past, he has been forced by Seymour to misallocate public money to fund unnecessary
demands like sitting allowances for useless committee meetings. He is also responsible
for the municipal capture; the worst form of corruption and abuse of office. His
private interests determine the direction of public policy (P39). He asks Mr. Harvester
to use public funds to buy all newspapers that portray the Municipal leaders in
bad light and to organize daily press conferences to clear their names and save
their skin. Apart from that, he runs a gang of riotous youth known as the Red Eagle
Gang. He admits stealing public resources when he alludes to a loaf bread meant
for the people from which he takes three slices for himself (P68-69). Although the buck stops
with him, he points fingers at other leaders like Ramdaye and Seymour, completely
refusing to admit blame (P69). He is only keen on protecting his political career. Under
his watch, the citizens suffer a den of leaders who participate in corruption, murder,
stealing, dishonesty and sexual perversion. Citizens feel like they have been beaten,stripped, robbed and left for dead. Electing such leaders is a sure way
to end up in the quagmire of agony.
In conclusion,
citizens who want their region to develop with expediency must elect
honourable leaders of integrity. Supporting inept leaders who only care about
their own interests results in agony for the citizens.
THE SAMARITAN ESSAYS QUESTIONS
Immoral people try to hide their misdeeds but when the
truth comes out, they face the consequences of their actions. Making reference
to John Lara's The Samaritan, write an essay to support this
statement.
Some people are dishonest or unethical. They go to great
lengths to conceal their immorality or wicked deeds. Inevitably, the truth
comes out and they pay for their sins. Characters like Mossi, Jaden and Bembe
in The Samaritan learn this the hard way.
Mossi tries to conceal his immoral acts but when the truth
is revealed, he faces the consequences. Mossi is exposed for being corrupt. He
is accused of municipal capture - the worst form of corruption and abuse of
office(P38). He is also accused of inflating the cost of projects and presiding
over shoddy municipal projects(P62). He fails to call his municipal secretaries
to order and rebuke them despite having information about the corrupt and inept
leaders. He admits that he has some skeletons in the closet and he goes to
great lengths to keep these misdeeds a secret (P29). First, he refuses to
launch the Samaritan app claiming it may have far-reaching implications
(P15,23). He orders Ms. Nicole to write to the ministry officials expressing
his reservations about the Samaritan app. He also threatens the principal Ms. Narine.
This is because the aim of the Samaritan App is to promote the public good by
exposing corruption and other vices in the municipality and agitating for the
prosecution of the culprits(P23). Secondly, he convenes an urgent meeting to
try and avert the adverse effects of the exposure. He orders Mr. Harvester to
buy all the newspapers in an effort to conceal his misdeeds. The headlines of
the newspapers such as ‘The Caribbean Watch',
‘The Sentinel’ and ‘The Spotlight’ are extremely damaging for him and the other
leaders. He supports Bembe's idea of banning the Samaritan app and orders Harvester
to issue a circular to that effect (P27-28). Mossi wants computer experts to
hack and mess up the app. He calls for a
meeting of his dependable allies and asks Harvester to prepare a comprehensive
press statement to counter the allegations against them(P43). He intends to
hold a press conference daily. The mayor visits Ms Nicole and admits his
mistakes and begs her to help her by eliminating incriminating information
about him from the app. He even offers her and the innovators, Alvita and Montano,
a bribe. Nicole declines(P60-61). When his remorseful approach fails, he orders
Nicole to delete all negative posts about him from the app, trying to conceal
his wrongdoing (P73). He later on apologizes to Nicole and even offers her a
post at the municipal council. He shakes her hand vigorously when he mistakenly
thinks that she had accepted the offer. The truth about his unethical deeds is,
however, all over the app and mainstream media. Mossi tries to hide behind
Nicole when he and others are accosted by Tajo, the National Anti-corruption Investigation
Bureau boss. He is arrested and cuffed and escorted to the National Anti-corruption
Investigation Bureau headquarters. Indeed, no one can escape from the
consequences of their actions.
Secondly, Inspector Bembe tries to hide his unscrupulous
deals but when the truth comes out he faces the music. Inspector Bembe has
always been very discreet about his private affairs. His face is covered with
an expression of horror when it is revealed that people are demanding for
information about the source of funds he used to build Madingo Golf Club. Mossi
reminds him that there is nothing you can do on earth without someone knowing
about it(P26). The secretive policeman is exposed on the Samaritan app and
accused of an array of illegalities including; corruption, drug peddling,
violation of human rights and extortion(P38). ‘The Caribbean Watch’ newspaper
reports that his hotel and his home are built on Maracas University land -
which is public land. A lobby group has moved to court to have the land
restored to the university(P40). He is also exposed for gang involvement - being
a member of Ghettoboyz. His hotel is famously known as Motorist Highway Hotel
since it was built using proceeds of corruption; bribes from motorists. His
officers collect bribes from the guilty and innocent alike. The police force
has been converted into his own personal outfit(P41). To conceal his immoral
deeds, Inspector Bembe suggests that they threaten some of the reporters(P22) and
that they ban The Samaritan app in Maracas Municipality. He is ready to enforce
the law(P27). He then tries to intimidate Nicole by accusing her of stealing
the school generator, being at a scene of a murder, disobeying authorities and
being too strong-willed for a school teacher (P94-95). He then arrests her on
trumped up charges while demanding to know where The Samaritan is hidden. When this
fails, he tries to apologize to Nicole as they attempt to lure her with a job
offer(P131). When faced by Tajo, the anti-corruption police boss, he staggers
and almost falls as he seeks cover(P138). He is then arrested and handcuffed. As
a diabetic, he is bound to face a rough time in prison (P99). When evil deeds
come to the light, the perpetrators suffer the consequences.
Justice Jaden tries to strategically conceal his dirty
deals but he suffers when his secrets are divulged. Mossi reveals that judges
in Maracas municipality are worse than temple robbers. He tells Jaden that they
all have some skeletons in the closet. Jaden thinks of himself as a strategic
schemer. He posits that what matters is not what you do, but how you do it. He
claims that you can fly into forbidden territory and get away with it, provided
you do it under the radar(P29). Indeed, he is part of the syndicate just like Mossi
insinuated. A company linked to him - Prime Orchard Farm - was involved in the “rats
and other rodents scandal”. He is a shareholder in the company(P105). He gives
biased rulings in favour of Ivy, his mistress, considering single sourcing for
her company as opposed to a competitive bidding and also in favour of Prime Orchard
Farm when the company is sued for being the source of destructive rodents. The
farm rears rats that are released into farms to undermine production of grains
in order to increase demand for imported grain since Prime Orchard Farm is one
of the largest importers of corn in the municipality. The specially trained cats
at the farm eat chicken instead of rodents. Jaden also uses his public office
to amass a fortune for himself. He is also corrupt since he takes money from
litigants to determine cases in their favour. When he realizes his evil deeds
have been exposed, he beseeches Harvester to organize a meeting with Mossi,
Basdeo and others with the view to saving their skins from their Samaritan app
and concealing their unethical acts. He also plans to apply the principle of
double jeopardy, that is initiating prosecution in order to preempt any legal
move against them. He then suggests temporarily halting activities of the
Samaritan app citing intrusion of privacy(P123). To further conceal his
misdeeds, he is part of the schemers offering Nicole a lucrative post in the
municipal council. His exposure causes him immense suffering. He experiences
hallucinations when he sees rats and other rodents and catches the smell of
sewer rats, nausea and stomach ulcers. When accosted by Tajo, the National
Anti-corruption Investigations Bureau chief, he crouches under the boardroom
table. He is then arrested and cuffed. Indeed when misdeeds are exposed, the miscreants suffer adversely.
Seymour insists on reallocation of budget items or
submission of a supplementary budget in order to use the money to fight the
impending cases against them when his misdeeds are exposed. When his fraudulent
acts are exposed, he suggests that they talk to the people posting on the
Samaritan app and pay them to stop(P24). Companies linked to him are exposed on
the Samaritan app and the newspapers for supplying air to the municipality then
bill the municipal council huge sums of money without rendering any service. He
supports Bembe’s idea of banning the Samaritan app, and justifies this by
claiming it is a suspect spy app. He also cites absurd reasons like theft of
confidential information like bank details, cyber bullying and pornography in
schools(P27). Seymour suggests that they should rely on Justice Ian Jaden
should the issue escalate to court(P29). In addition to that, he posits that
the leaders should talk to Alvita and Montano(P30) or use money from the
municipal council coffers to bribe witnesses as they fight the cases(P31). In a
bid to further hide his wickedness, he proposes that Mossi should allow
reallocation of funds, ostensibly to manage the waste disposal system. In real
sense, some of the money would be used to fight the cases against him. He has
been a culprit in such misallocation of funds in the past by compelling the
mayor to irregularly part with funds for regular travel with enhanced
allowances, unnecessary committee meetings and loans and mortgages. He pushes
the mayor to the wall in an effort to compel him to approve the supplementary
budget in order to conceal his wrongdoing. Seymour was once a poor, jigger-infested
hoodlum. Now he lives in grandiose villas and mansions, indulges in sumptuous
delicacies in classy hotels and drives swanky state-of-the-art vehicles(P35)
thanks to his corrupt ways. He is behind protracted delays in the issue of
building approvals, bribes to get a building plan, and gang violence with Black
Swan gang, selling drugs and ruining the lives of the youth in Maracas
municipality. Eventually he is arrested, cuffed and escorted to the anti-corruption
headquarters by Tajo. He shuffles around Nicole on his feet in confusion.
Surely, when ones evil deeds come to the light, they regret the consequences of
their actions.
In conclusion, indeed unethical people attempt to conceal
their misdeeds albeit unsuccessfully. Eventually, they face the music when their
sins are exposed.
THE SAMARITAN ESSAYS QUESTIONS
Selfish leaders create many problems that affect
citizens. Making reference to John Lara’s The Samaritan, write an
essay to support this statement.
Many issues facing citizens of Maracas Municipality are a
creation of self-seeking leaders. Leaders like Mossi, Bembe, Jaden, Ramdaye and
Seymour lack consideration for the citizens and are only concerned with their
own selfish ambitions. These result in many problems for the citizens.
Mayor Mossi creates many problems for the citizens of
Maracas as a result of his selfishness. He selfishly declines to either award Alvita
and Montano, the innovators of the Samaritan app, or launch the app. He cites
far-reaching implications. He orders Ms. Narine and Ms. Nicole to halt any
activity regarding the app(P16). Nicole was to write a letter to the officials
expressing the mayor’s reservation about The Samaritan(P17). The Samaritan had
been approved by senior officials at the Ministry of Education and experienced
software engineers(P16). Mossi later misuses his power when he threatens Nicole
and Narine(P19). Mossi is accused of municipal capture which is the worst form
of corruption and abuse of office. He later owns up his mistakes and seeks Nicole’s
help(P60). Owing to his selfishness, he wants her to eliminate some negative
information about him on the app. He even offers to bribe Nicole and the
kids(P61). Mossi is also accused of inflating costs of projects and presiding
over shoddy municipal works(P62). Later, he orders Nicole to delete every post
that casts him in negative light(P73). When Ramdaye and others plan to move a
vote of no confidence against him, he asks justice Jaden to jail Basdeo,
Ramdaye, Seymour and Ted only because he wants to save his skin. Never mind
that earlier on he did not bother to have them convicted, despite having intel
about their wrongdoing, accusing the judges of being worse than temple
robbers(P67). As the overall leader, Nicole notes that the buck stops with
him(P62). Everything Mossi does is motivated by his selfish interest rather
than public interest. Thus, the municipality is rife with problems such as
corruption, murder, theft, deceit and sexual perversion(P90). These problems
affect the citizens thanks to Mossi’s avarice. Surely, uncaring leaders create
problems which affect the citizens.
The deputy mayor Ramdaye is a selfish leader who creates a
myriad of problems for citizens of Maracas Municipality. He is the municipal
secretary in charge of infrastructure. Under his watch, the citizens have to
make do with terrible roads in the municipality. The council pays a lot of
money for the roads but only a few kilometres of roads are dug up. The
contractor pours old black oil and claims the road is tarmacked. The roads look
like abandoned battlefields ruined by detonated bombs and are so terrible that even tractors get stuck on them(P62). He fuels
nepotism since only his companies and those of his relatives win tenders for
construction of roads, constructions of bridges, drains and waterways. They
misappropriate funds and do not do any meaningful work(P63). He also prints
fake title deeds and sells ten plots to ten different unsuspecting people. He
swindles many people including Bembe, the Inspector General of police, to whom
he sells grabbed land that belongs to Maracas University. He has ruined the lives of countless people through his greed(P42). The citizens are
adversely affected because of the substandard infrastructure. Ramdaye is a self-seeking
leader since his family is involved in municipal projects and it does business
with the municipal council. Such selfish leaders initiate serious problems that
burden the citizens.
Ted King is also a leader that creates problems that
adversely affect the citizens. Ted is the secretary in charge of health and
environment. The healthcare sector in Maracas is in disarray. Hospitals today
barely have any medicine(P9). There are no drugs in hospitals because of
theft(P91). He invites bids for construction of health centres but due to his
selfishness, only companies associated with his friends and family win tenders.
Ted steals all the money budgeted for healthcare. He puts up site offices that
look like cowsheds. It is said that he “ate” a whole hospital(P64). People also
complained of noise pollution when he worked as a deejay. Apart from that, he
also pirates other people’s music(P65). For his selfish interests, he tries to
whip up racial and class prejudice in a bid to ouster Mayor Mossi. Many
problems experienced by citizens are created by selfish leaders like Ted King.
As a result of Seymour’s selfishness, the plight of
citizens of Maracas is aggravated. He is the municipal secretary in charge of planning
and development. There is a public outcry over companies that bill the
municipality huge sums of money without rendering any services. Thus, Seymour
is accused of supply of air(P24). In order to exonerate himself, he proposes
that they have a conversation with those posting damaging information about him
on The Samaritan app and they pay them to stop(P24). He selfishly suggests that
they get money from the municipal fund through the reallocation of budget line
items. They can justify the reallocation of funds on the alleged need to
address the problem of poor waste disposal since there is garbage all over the
place and the drains are broken, leading to a serious health hazard. In
reality, the public funds would be used to fight off the impending cases
against them(P33). In the past, he has misused public funds through regular
travel with enhanced allowances, sitting allowance for unnecessary committee
meetings, loans and mortgages(P34). He insists on approval of a supplementary
budget to selfishly obtain the cash or else they eject the mayor from
office(P35). When elected, he was dirt poor but now he swims in stolen public
money(P35). As an incompetent self-seeking secretary of planning and
development, he is behind protracted delays in building approvals in Maracas.
One needs to part with dollars to get building plan approvals. The inspectorate
unit under him approves improper buildings because of corruption(P66). He is
also involved in gang violence as the head of the Black Swan gang that is
responsible for shooting, violence and disappearance of people. He also sells
narcotics and has ruined lives of many children who have dropped out of school,
become cabbages, roam aimlessly, lost their minds and even some have died(P67).
He was voted in overwhelmingly after bribing voters using drug money. Indeed,
citizens are affected adversely by the selfish actions of self-serving leaders
such as Seymour.
Bembe, the Inspector General of police, is a self-seeking
leader and as a result he creates many problems for the citizens of Maracas Municipality.
Ironically, the Inspector General of police is accused of an array of crimes
ranging from corruption, violation of human rights, drug peddling and
extortion(p38). His hotel, Madingo Golf Club, is built on Maracas University
land which is public land(P40). Bembe is corrupt since the hotel was built with
money obtained from proceeds of corruption. He has transformed the police force
into his own outfit for collecting bribes from the guilty and innocent alike.
His hotel is now known as Motorists Highway Hotel owing to the fact that his
officers collect bribes from motorists every day(P41). He is also involved in
gang violence as a member of Ghettoboyz gang. Together with Mossi, he organized
the senseless chaos and violence, in a bid to avert the vote of no confidence
motion against Mossi who had promised to help him concerning his grabbed land(P45).
Bembe also arrests an innocent Ms. Nicole on baseless trumped up charges of
disobeying authorities and stealing the school generator. He alleges her phone
signal was located at the scene of a murder(P94). On his order, two police
officers violently arrest Nicole, cuffing her and dragging her on the floor. All
this unnecessary harassment is an effort to conceal his criminal activities and
avoid prosecution and possible conviction. She is later acquitted and released
unconditionally. Lastly, Bembe misuses his power when he assigns a consignment
of officers to support Mossi’s Red Eagle Network to cause violence and chaos in
the municipality. They burn mattresses among other things thus degrading the
environment. Surely such selfish leaders like Bembe cause any problems which
affect citizens.
Jaden is the principal judge in Maracas Municipality but
many citizens suffer because he is selfish. The justice system in Maracas is flawed.
Ted King insinuates that with enough money, one can easily influence investigators,
lawyers, prosecutors and judges( P33). The courts in Maracas are undependable since
they follow the money more often than they follow justice(P44). The courts cannot
prosecute the corrupt inept leaders since the judges are part of the syndicate.
In fact, they are worse than temple robbers!(P67). Because of selfish leaders like
Jaden, Maracas is undergoing destruction because there is no justice in the law
courts(P91). Justice Jaden claims that he does not operate in a vacuum hence his
thinking and action is influenced by the ethos operating in the society(P116). A
company linked to him - Prime Orchard Farm - is linked to the rats and other
rodents scandal. He is a shareholder in the company(P105). He sends his
mistress Ivy to Mossi to secure a contract of killing rats and other rodents
ravaging rice and cornfields in the municipality. When members of the municipal
council reject the contract and insist on a competitive bidding, Jaden rules in
the favor of Ivy's company, Vertebrae Pest Control, a subsidiary of Prime
Orchard Limited(P106-107). He says single sourcing was permissible in the
public interest but in reality, it is only due to his avarice. His company Prime
Orchard Farm, reared rats to undermine the production of corn in order to
increase the demand for imported grains. Prime Orchard Farm is one of the
largest importers of corn in the municipality. When Prime Orchard Farm is sued
for being the source of rodents, he rules in favour of the company claiming
that rodents are a normal phenomena. The cats they rear at the farm become wild
and they eat chickens instead of rodents. Jaden also uses his office to amass a
fortune for himself. Surely, selfish leaders like Justice Jaden create an array
of problems that affect the citizens.
In conclusion, many of the problems facing citizens are
creations of self-serving leaders like Mossi, Bembe and Ramdaye among others.
THE SAMARITAN ESSAYS QUESTIONS
People who engage in wrongdoing cannot escape from the consequences of their actions. Write an essay to support this claim basing your illustrations on John Lara’s The Samaritan.
Some people take part in illegal or dishonest deeds
hoping that they will get away with it. Such misconduct usually leads to
serious consequences. Characters like Bembe and Jaden engage in crime but when
their sins are exposed they face repercussions and try as they may, they do not
escape the long arm of the law.
Inspector Bembe takes part in an array of criminal
activities including corruption and violation of human rights among others but
eventually he pays for it. When he learns that he has been exposed on The
Samaritan, he suggests that they should threaten some of the journalists(P22). Bembe
is an evil man who is always secretive about his private affairs, so he is
shocked to learn that people know about his hotel, Madingo Golf Club(P28). He
suggests that they ban The Samaritan App(P27). He is accused of corruption,
violation of human rights, drug peddling and extortion(P39). This exposé makes
him drift into a coma since he has issues with his blood sugar(P38). ‘The
Caribbean Watch' newspaper claims that Bembe’s hotel and home are built on Maracas
University land - which is public land. A lobby group is moving to court to
have the land restored to the university. When Bembe learns of this, he
breathes heavily while trembling. He sunk all his life savings in putting up
the hotel and the home, and he is retiring in a few months time. Apart from that,
Bembe is also a member of a shadowy gang - Ghettoboyz - that robs people. His
hotel is called Motorists Highway Hotel since it was built with bribes
collected from motorists. He has converted the municipal police force into a
personal outfit for collecting bribes from the innocent and the guilty alike.
Furthermore, he arrests Ms. Nicole on fabricated charges of stealing the school
generator and disobeying authorities(P95,100). He orders his two officers to arrest
Nicole. They cuff her and drag her on the floor. She is, however, released and
the case dismissed. Bembe tells Mossi that they are doomed. He prefers to die
than to be a derelict or an inmate. He asks the lord to have mercy on him. He suffers
from a runny stomach. He cannot last a week in prison because he is diabetic.
These are his last days, he says(P99). When she’s arrested, Nicole gets support
from touts, hawkers, students, women and men of all walks of life.(P100.) Later,
he apologises to Nicole. Claiming the arrest was a misunderstanding he admits his
mistake and begs for forgiveness (131-132). He is later arrested. Trying to
escape the dragnet, he staggers and almost falls as he struggles to take cover (P138).
Clearly, no one can escape from the consequences of their actions.
Justice Ian Jaden pays for his sins after abusing his
office and engaging in a number of unethical acts. He is a corrupt judge who
thought he could get away with his misdeeds for he posits that you can fly into
enemy territory and get away with it provided you do it below the radar. That
what matters is not what you do but how you do it. He thinks that since he is
educated and strategic he can beat the system and escape Scot free(P29). Jaden
is unethical since his relatives are involved in doing business with the
municipal council(P69). Jaden’s company, Prime Orchard Farm, is involved in a
fraud case dubbed the ‘grain scandal’(P102). He is fraudulently awarded a
contract for killing rats and other rodents ravaging rice and corn fields in
the municipality(P106). He gets the contract through single sourcing rather
than competitive bidding. Jaden then rules that given the urgency to safeguard
the grains, single sourcing was permissible in the public interest(P107). He
also rules in the favor of prime orchard farm when the company is sued for
being the source of destructive rodents in the municipality(P108). Jaden takes
bribes from litigants to determine cases in their favour and uses his office to
amass a fortune for himself. When he is exposed, he suffers stomach ulcers and
hallucinations when he starts seeing huge smelly sewer rats. He also helped
some friends by making biased rulings in their favor as an interested party and
he was given shares in the company as a reward for this illegality. He is now
in a dilemma since the mayor is suing the said company. He suffers a myriad of
challenges including seeing rats and other rodents running all over the place,
catching the smell of sewer rats, wanting to throw up, stomach aches and having
more severe ulcers(P116). He organizes a meeting with other leaders hoping to
escape the risk of prosecution. His suggestions about double jeopardy or a
temporal ban of the Samaritan app also hit a snag(P123). His attempt to lure Ms.
Nicole with the promise of a plum position as the director general in the
municipality is also futile(P134). He is arrested by Tajo, The anti corruption
boss. He tries to crouch under the boardroom table to avoid arrest(P138).
Indeed, no one can escape from the repercussions of their actions.
Mayor Mossi involves himself in dishonest deeds and
inevitably faces the ramifications with actions. He is accused of many crimes
including municipal capture - which is the worst form of corruption and abuse
of office, in which his private interests determine the direction of public
policy(P39). When he learns that The Samaritan app could be used to expose the
rot in the municipal procurement process, he declines to launch it claiming
that the municipal leaders need time to reflect on the implications of the
app(P15). He even instructs Nicole to write to the officials concerning his
reservations(P18) and oders Ms. Nicole and Ms. Narine to halt any activity
concerning the app in a bid to conceal the illegalities the leaders are engaged
in(P16). He convenes meetings with other leaders in an effort to escape the
consequences of his actions(P20). He also asks Harvester to buy all newspapers
from all vendors using public funds, since they contain damaging information
about the leaders(P21,41). After a disagreement, Seymour and others want to
move a vote of no confidence in Mossi. Mossi loses consciousness when he learns
that he may end up in the uninhabitable Baneta Express Prison(P38). He also
plans to use press conferences to fight the allegations against him(P43). Mayor
Mossi admits taking part in an ethical deeds(P60). However, he tries to
downplay his role in the plunder of public resources when he says that unlike
other leaders who gobble up the loaf meant for the people, he only takes a
slice or two or three(P68-69). He wants Nicole to prevail over the kids who
made the Samaritan to eliminate some negative information about him on the
app(P60). The corrupt mayor even has the audacity to offer Nicole and the
children a bribe claiming that everybody needs money(P61). On the issue of
development, he is accused of inflating the cost of projects and overseeing
shoddy municipal works. When Nicole refuses to budge, he accuses the people of
electing evil people into public office and later on whining(P71). He also
orders Nicole to delete every post that casts him in negative light on the
Samaritan App(P73). Mossi tries to lure Nicole with a plum job and promises of
changes in the municipality for example; that public resources will no longer
be stolen, justice will be served and not preserved for the rich, the police
will stand with the innocent and not the crooks or lawbreakers and lawmakers
will promote public interests rather than feathering their own nests(P133-134).
Mayor Mossi pays for his immorality when he is arrested by Tajo, the anti-corruption
chief. He tries to hide behind Nicole, when Tajo declares that he was there to
escort them to the anti-corruption headquarters(P138). Indeed, wrongdoers
cannot escape the ramifications of their actions.
Hon. Seymour also engages in a number of criminal
activities and ultimately faces the consequences of his actions. He is the
municipal secretary in charge of planning and development(P20). He is accused
alongside Hon. Ted of supplying air. Their companies bill the municipal council
huge sums of money every month but they do not render any services. This
illegality is exposed on the Samaritan app(P24). Springing to his feet with
clenched fists, Seymour declares that no one can write that kind of stuff about
him. In a trembling voice, he says that those are fake documents and declares
war against those behind the allegations(P25). He suggests that they think
creatively about a way to stop the Samaritans App(P27), or the need to rely on Justice
Jaden should the matter escalate to court(P29). He also suggests that they
persuade Alvita and Montano to drop the matter(P30) or simply use public money
from the municipal fund through reallocation of budget line items to fight the
cases(P32-33). This money, according to Ted, could be used to take care of
investigators, lawyers prosecutors and judges(P33). Seymour makes it clear that
the money will be used to fight off cases against them, but they can justify
the relocation on the ostensible need to fix the problem of the terrible waste
disposal system, which is a serious health hazard(P33). This is illegal. Seymour
was elected as a poor and jigger-infested hoodlum but now he lives like a king
in grandiose villas and drives swanky cars thanks to stealing public
money(P35). In the department of planning and development, he is behind the
protracted delays in the issue of building approvals, and one needs to part
with dollars in order to get building plans. They rotten inspectorate unit
under him approves improper buildings as long as you part with dollars(P66). His
law degree was printed downtown(P66). He also leads the murderous Black Swan Gang
which is responsible for shootings and violence and disappearance of people. Seymour
takes part in the selling of narcotics and this has ruined the lives of many
people(P67). As a result, his eldest son is always at the rehab, the other one
is always inebriated at the casino and the wife is a perpetual drunk(P70). He
faces the consequences of his actions when he is arrested by Tajo, the head of
the Anti-corruption Bureau. He shuffles on his feet in confusion when the
policeman introduces himself. He is handcuffed by uniformed police officers, bundled
out and escorted to the anti-corruption headquarters(P138). Clearly, an ethical
people cannot escape from the ramifications of their misdeeds.
Ramdaye, the deputy mayor, is a leader that takes part in
dishonest deeds but eventually pays for his imprudence. Despite being a leader,
Ramdaye is a notorious swindler. He sells Bembe public land that belongs to Maracas
University. That is how he has earned his livelihood for all these years. He
has ruined the lives of countless people through his greed(P42). Only his
companies and those of his relatives win tenders for the road construction,
construction of bridges, drains and water courses. They misappropriate the
funds and do a shoddy job(P63). Ramdaye also swindles people by printing ten
title deeds for the same plot and selling it to ten different people(P63). He
is a corrupt and dishonest leader since he is bribed by Ivy in order to keep
mum about the rodent gate affair. He is also made a shareholder of Prime Orchard
Limited. Eventually, he faces the consequences of his actions when he is
arrested by Tajo, who is in charge of anti-corruption. Ramdaye shuffles around on
his feet in confusion before two uniformed officers handcuff him and bundle him
out of the room. Truly, one cannot escape from the consequences of their
actions.
In conclusion, it is clear to see that when one engages
in unethical acts for example corruption, gang involvement, nepotism etc. they
cannot escape punishment. Ultimately, they pay for their sins.
THE SAMARITAN ESSAYS QUESTIONS
Those who unite only for selfish reasons are bound to
fail. Making reference to John Lara’s The Samaritan, write an
essay to support this statement.
Some people only come together for the common purpose of
pursuing their selfish interests. Such people are always unsuccessful in
achieving their goal. In The Samaritan, Mossi and other leaders
only unite in an effort save their skins from the exposé on The
Samaritan app in order to avoid possible conviction but their meetings end in
disarray and ultimately they fail to achieve their common goal.
Mayor Mossi unites with other key leaders in the municipal
administration with the aim of saving their skins in the wake of damaging
revelations about them in the media but this unity proves futile in the long
run. The mayor convenes an urgent meeting when he learns that the leaders had
been exposed on the Samaritan app and newspapers such as “The Insight” whose
headline screams: ‘Rot in Maracas Municipal
Council Exposed’(P21). Mossi refused to launch the Samaritan app when he
figured out the innovation may be a problem for the leaders(P23). The app can
be used to expose corruption and other vices and agitate for prosecution of the
culprits(P23). The main aim of this unity is to attempt to avert possible
prosecution and conviction. Seymour suggests that they have a conversation with
those posting on the app and pay them to stop(P24). He also suggests that Jaden
helps them in case the issue escalates to court. Mossi insist that they must work together
since they all have some skeletons in the closet(P29). Seymour insists they
should mobilize enough money to fight any impending cases(P31). He avers that
they should get their money from the municipal fund and Ted says they can use
it to pay investigators, lawyers, prosecutors, and judges(P33). He says they
could justify the reallocation by claiming it would be used to fix the waste
disposal system which poses a health hazard but Mossi dismisses him saying it
was against the law. The meeting degenerates into a spat pitting Mossi against
Ted and Seymour. They accuse each other of several crimes. Seymour and Ted
threaten to hound Mossi out of office but he cautions them that he is “The
smoke that thunders”. Eventually, they fail to stop the Samaritan app or the
prosecution since they are arrested in the long run. Clearly, coming together
for selfish reasons bears no fruit.
Mossi brings together his dependable allies so that they
could agree on the handling of the Samaritan crisis which had snowballed into a
huge nightmare for them (P37) but this unity of convenience proves futile. Mossi,
Bembe and Harvester meets in the Jungle room at the Madingo Golf Club. Each one
of them is accused of many misdeeds and the purpose of their unity is to try
and escape the dragnet. Bembe is accused of countless cases of corruption,
violation of human rights, drug peddling and extortion(P38). Harvester is
accused of many crimes of abuse of office including doing letters banning the
use of apps and directing the ICT officer to take steps against suspect
apps(P38). On the other hand, Mossi is accused of many crimes particularly
municipal capture which is the worst form of corruption and abuse of office
where private interests determine the direction of public policy(P39). Harvester
is also accused of using public funds to purchase all newspapers following Mossi
orders(P40). “The Caribbean Watch” newspaper alleges that Bembe’s hotel and
home are built on Maracas University land and a lobby group is moving to court to
have the land restored back to the university(P40). He is also accused of being
a member of Ghettoboyz gang which robs people. He has further converted the
municipal police force into his personal outfit for collecting bribes and his
hotel which is now dubbed ‘Motorists Highway Hotel’ was built with bribes
collected from motorists(P41). This trio convenes for several selfish reasons:
Saving Bembe’s land from his repossession, saving Mossi from being ejected from
office through a vote of no confidence, and escaping retribution following the
exposure on the Samaritan app. They plan to arrange for press conferences to
give the impression that the municipal council is running normally(P43). The
most important and urgent problem according to Mossi is dealing with the vote
of no confidence in him(P43). They raise a number of solutions including
arresting the sponsors of the motion, stopping the move in court, mobilizing Mossi’s
political base to defeat the motion on the floor, and funding gangs - Red Eagle
Network and Ghettoboyz - and undercover police officers to disrupt the meeting
at the municipal headquarters(P44-47). They plan to deal with the Samaritan by
either talking to Ms Nicole or blackmailing her by accusing her of stealing
school property including a computer or a generator(P47). They also plan to
talk to Jaden to jail Ramdaye, Seymour and Ted(P47). They fail terribly. They
are unable to stop the Samaritan, the judge dismisses Nicole’s case and sets
her free(P100), Bembe is badly embarrassed when the fools he sent to steal the
generator are unsuccessful in their endeavour, and he has been summoned to the
headquarters in the capital by his bosses. The vote of no confidence is still
on as Ramdaye and his group are regrouping to have a massive rally at Atobold
stadium(P101). Also, the Anti-Corruption Investigation Bureau is on to
them(P102). Ultimately, they fail to stop the prosecutions as they are all
arrested. Surely, coming together only for selfish reasons is pointless.
Hon Ramdaye, Hon Seymour and Hon Ted also meet to mobilize
the entire municipal council to pass the no confidence motion against Mayor Mossi(P75).
Ramdaye was also in talks with Basdeo who was is to work with them(P80). The
purpose of this unity is to form a coalition for their own selfish reasons and
also to avoid prosecution after being exposed on the Samaritan app. They meet
in the Sky Room at the Madingo golf club. Seymour and Ted are accused of
supplying air; there is public outcry over companies that bill the municipal
council huge sums of money every month but do not render any services. These
companies are linked to Seymour and Ted(P24). In order to fight the impending
prosecution, Seymour suggests that through a reallocation of budget line items,
they get money from the municipal fund. Ted says the fund can be used to take
care of the investigators, lawyers, prosecutors and judges(P32). They end up
disagreeing with Mossi who accuses them of notoriety over misallocation of
funds: from regular travels with enhanced allowances, sitting allowances of
unnecessary committee meetings, to loans, and mortgages(P34). Seymour and Mossi
trade accusations over questionable deeds committed by either of them. Seymour
insists that Mossi approves the supplementary budget or be ejected out of
office(P35). This group is meeting to advance the no confidence motion. Ted is
tasked with talking to councillors and Aldermen to seek their support. Basdeo is interested in
forming a coalition with the trio and all members of the mixed ethnicity. His
condition is that when Seymour becomes mayor, he should immediately appoint him
the deputy mayor(P80). The group is planning to have a massive rally on
Wednesday at the Atobold Stadium to rally the people against Mossi. Their
alliance is a big failure since Ted is on the phone all night but gets very
little support from the councillors and aldermen (P76). Even after canvassing,
his overall assessment is that the situation is not very good. It is difficult
to know which direction the vote would go(P79). The rally does not take place
and they also fail to stop the Samaritan. They are arrested by Tajo, the head
of Anti-Corruption investigations Bureau. They are all handcuffed bundled out and
escorted to the anti-corruption headquarters for questioning. Indeed, uniting
for selfish reasons is bound to end up in failure.
Mossi and Bembe come together with Jaden with a view to
fight back against Ramdaye and company who are trying to remove Mossi from
office but this unity is fruitless in the end. Mossi desperately tries to stop
the move to eject him from office. He manages to send his goons from Red Eagle Network
to abort a meeting of the conspirators at the municipal headquarters and plans
to use the same method to stop a rally his enemies are planning(P101). When he
leads the Anti-Corruption Investigation Bureau is also involved, he posits that
Justice Jaden holds the key out of the mess. He intends to use the grain
scandal to make the stiff-necked judge to cooperate(P102). Mossi informs Jaden
that he needs him to help him initiate cases against Ramdaye and his team
quickly and secure convictions as soon as possible, preferably in a day, in
order to derail the plan to remove him from office(P103). Bembe adds that the
judiciary is core in dealing with The Samaritan and Mossi is willing to grease Jaden's
palm(P104). Jaden is unwilling to play ball but they force his hand by alluding
to the rats and other rodents scandal. They remind Jaden that he is also in the
mess just like they, thanks to The Samaritan. They remind him of how rats were
reared in Prime Orchard Farm and released into corn and rice fields(P105). The
idea was to undermine the domestic production in order to increase demand for
imported grains because Prime Orchard Farm was one of the largest corn
importers in Maracas (P107). Mossi blackmails Jaden into an alliance with them
by ordering Bembe to arrest the owners of Prime Orchard Farm(P105). Jaden and
his mistress Ivy own the company as shareholders. Mossi and Bembe will only
spare him on condition that he convicts Ramdaye and Basdeo for the involvement
in the grain scandal and he jails Ted and Seymour for supplying air to the
municipal council(P112). All this is a selfish attempt to stop his removal from
office and possible conviction. They fail eventually since as much as Jaden
eventually agrees to work with them, their union bears no fruit since they fail
to stop activities of The Samaritan and are arrested by the anti-corruption
boss Tajo. They are handcuffed and manhandled by two uniformed officers
accompanying Tajo(P138). Surely, uniting in pursuit of selfish goals is clearly
futile.
Justice Jaden sets up a meeting with Harvester for his own
selfish reasons but he fails in the end. He is in a mess and it concerns The Samaritan(P114). He insists that they must find a way of helping each other since each of them is
in hot soup(P115). Mossi has instructed the municipal council to file cases
against Ramdaye, Seymour, Ted and Basdeo in order to forestall the vote of no
confidence(P115). Jaden is in a dilemma because he is also entangled in the
case(P116). He made a biased ruling and was paid using shares of a company the
municipal council is suing. Jaden proposes an alternative dispute resolution.
He says that Mayor Mossi, Basdeo and others come together to talk to one
another since none of them is clean. He suggests that they secure a truce in
order to deal with The Samaritan as a united force(P118-119). The leaders meet
at the Chamber of the principal judge for a meeting convened by Jaden purposely
to save their skins from the Samaritan(P120). Each of them is exposed on The
Samaritan for engaging in a number of crimes. The leaders fail to agree on
the real problems facing them and most of them give selfish responses, for
example: Mossi says the problem is his impending removal from office, Seymour
talks of Mossi’s refusal to give them municipal funds, Harvester blames the
Samaritan, Bembe talks about the school kids, Basdeo alludes to the skeletons
in the closet while Jaden says the problem is the risk of persecution(P121).
The leaders come up with several suggestions in pursuit of redemption for
example double jeopardy, temporal halting of the use of The Samaritan app(P123)
and even offering Nicole a powerful position in the municipality(P125). Jaden
is picked to speak to Nicole on their behalf(P127). To their dismay, their plan is unsuccessful since Nicole declines to take up the position of director general(P134-137).
She says they don’t need new laws, positions, or offices but a change of heart
or spirit among the people and especially the leaders. She blames the leaders
for breaking the law and pursuing the selfish interests at the expense of their
people(P137). A commotion ensues when the anti-corruption chief walks in. Their
ploy fails because they cannot not stop The Samaritan despite their best efforts
instead they are arrested and frog marched to the anti-corruption headquarters
for questioning. When people unite for the sole purpose of securing their
selfish needs they fail.
In conclusion, coming together for selfish reasons is
pointless. The self-seeking leaders come together for their own selfish reasons
but they fail. Despite their endeavour, their chickens come home to roost.
THE SAMARITAN ESSAYS QUESTIONS
Change can be initiated through the effort of ordinary citizens. Closely referring to Nicole in The Samaritan by John Lara, write an essay to support this statement.
Some people may come off as normal and not different or
special in any way. However, through their determined attempts such people are
capable of bringing change. In John Lara’s The Samaritan, Nicole, a simple
teacher, ignites change in Maracas Municipality when she midwifes the idea of The
Samaritan app.
Ms Nicole inspires Alvita in Montano to invent the
Samaritan app, an innovation that helps to institute change in Maracas Municipality.
She is the teacher in charge of innovation and a mentor to the two
students(P55). She midwifes the students’ idea and also guides them, in her
role as a teacher and a mentor(P56). Alvita and Montano are to be awarded a
prize for creating the winning innovation at the Secondary Schools’ National Innovation
Competition(P1). The official launch is graced by the mayor Mossi-oa-Tunya,
other distinguished leaders, members of the school board, the principal and
teachers(P2). Nicole’s efforts in mentoring the students who invented The
Samaritan app is invaluable since the innovation can be useful in initiating
change by protecting the environment. People can provide details of the
location and people involved in illegal activities that degrade the environment
by sharing photos and videos. Officials can then log in and see the
reports(P11). The Samaritan can also bring about change by ensuring proper use
of public resources. People can share information about the municipal
procurement process that is what the municipal is procuring, how the tenders
are awarded, who wins the tenders et cetera. This can bring change since the
information is pigeonholed with the Crimes and Integrity Commission(P12). Ordinary
people volunteer information that advances public good(P13). Although the mayor
declines to launch The Samaritan, it will still be launched by the president
when schools reopen(P16). The app was assessed by senior officials at the
Ministry of Education together with experienced software engineers and given a
clean bill of health(P17). Although it was the brainchild of the two school
children guided by Ms. Nicole, the ethics and innovations teacher, it has been
taken over by the National Information and Communication Technology Corporation(P18).
Indeed, the efforts of ordinary citizens can bring about change.
As a result of Ms Nicole’s effort, the Samaritan app is
used by the people to expose the rot in the municipality and help in
prosecution of the culprits and this sends the leaders into a panic. People can
share information on the conduct of municipal affairs(P23). It is also used in
promoting public good by exposing corruption and other vices and agitating for
the prosecution of the culprits(P23). It has been used to expose vices such as
supply of air, drug trafficking, grabbing public land, inflation of cost of
municipal projects, use of proxies to secure tenders, undertaking shoddy public
works, murder and gang warfare. The information on the people and companies
involved is very detailed(P25). The information includes the culprit’s personal
details for example the lifestyles of the individual municipal leaders, where
they live and the properties they own like houses, vehicles and
businesses(P26). A lobby group, comprising of lawyers, called The Samaritans is
calling upon people to volunteer as witnesses and helping the prosecution of
those involved in corruption and abuse of office. They are also trying to
petition the local government minister, the prime minister and the chief
justice to take action(P26-27). Because of Ms Nicole’s tireless effort, people
have an excellent platform to expose corrupt leaders, leading to their
prosecution and conviction. Surely, change can be instigated through the
efforts of ordinary people like Ms Nicole.
Ms Nicole’s
effort help the reporters and editors in the mainstream media to gather enough
information on the municipal leaders setting in motion the wheels of change. The
focus of the local newspapers is on the municipal leaders and the stories are
extremely damaging(P21-22). Mossi asks Harvester to buy all newspapers from the
vendors as early as possible for it was in their best interest. Newspapers like
The Caribbean Watch, The Seninel, The Insight and The Spotlight all talk about
the municipal council as a criminal enterprise, the leaders being stripped
naked, the rot in the municipality and a call for imprisonment of the leaders.
Such headlines have been published every day for the last one month. Ted
wonders if such headlines are unusual, Jaden suggests that they should give the
reporters more boxes of chocolates while Bembe avers that they should threaten
some of them. The Samaritan app is the source of the information in the
newspapers(P22). There is a damaging story about Harvester in the newspaper
about the misuse of public funds when Mossi instructed him to buy all
newspapers using public funds. The Sentinel highlights a vicious duel between Mossi and Seymour. The Caribbean Watch
has damaging information about Bembe. They claim his hotel and his home are
built on public land, he is a member of Ghettoboyz, a shadowy gang that robs people, he has
converted the municipal police force into his own personal outfit and he
collects bribes from motorists(P40-41). All this information in the mainstream
media is sourced from the Samaritan app. It is through Ms Nicole’s effort that
such rot is exposed. Surely, ordinary people can be agents of change through
their tireless endeavor.
Ms Nicole initiates change in Maracas Municipality through
her lessons on morality, ethics and the perils of disobedience at Sagrada
Secondary School . She is the ethics and innovation teacher at the school(P3). She
always does what she thinks is rights(P18). Teachers like Ms Nicole try their
best to mold the characters of their learners. They teach them to uphold the
moral and civic virtues without which society can never prosper, be fair, just
and peaceful. She teaches them virtues of honesty, truthfulness, generosity,
integrity and transparency. This can help bring change since it is the lack of
virtue that is ruining the society. Teachers also strive to develop virtuous
creative thinkers and innovators(P72). She also teaches the learners to be
organized. She tells her learners that everything has to be well-organized and
neat since a disorganized mind cannot plan. She teaches her class about the
heart having two spirits - the good and the bad. The good spirit obeys while
the bad spirit disobeys and leads to destruction(P87-88). She cautions the
students about the perils of disobedience. The fall of Jerusalem and the temple
were as a result of the people disobeying the Creator. This happened in the Ancient
Near East in 587 BC(P90). The acts of disobedience in society today include
corruption, murder, theft, lies and sexual perversion(P90). The evil spirit is
prevalent in society today and Maracas Municipality is undergoing destruction
as a result of lack of drugs in hospitals because of theft, bribery in the
police force and travesty of justice in the law courts(P91). Ms Nicole asks the
students to reject the spirit of the beast and resist all those being
controlled by this spirit since consequences of disobedience are inescapable
for both the society and the individual who disobeys(P91). Ms Nicole’s effort
to guide the learners to be morally upright is laudable. This will help change
the behaviour of the citizens of Maracas Municipality. Indeed, efforts of
ordinary people can cause change in the society.
Nicole’s effort jolts the leaders into talking about
change in the municipality. Ms Nicole is an ordinary teacher but she wields
massive influence because of her determined effort. Mossi visits her in school
and begs her to help him regarding The Samaritan. Bembe also tries to
intimidate her by arresting her on trumped up charges of stealing the school
generator and disobeying authorities. People from all walks of life including
touts and hawkers show up to support Nicole when she is arrested. They were
mobilized through the Samaritan app. Nicole is a force to reckon with since
people displayed the solidarity never before witnessed in Maracas Municipality.
Bembe is also summoned by his bosses for this folly. Bembe and Mossi later
visit Nicole and apologise. Nicole rejects Ted’s offer of a golden ring. The
leaders now claim that there is need for drastic change. Ms Nicole says that
her role in the new order is that she owes the municipality and the country is
civic duty. She is ready to work with patriotic citizens to enhance
transparency and accountability(P133). Mossi claims that the municipality was
going to embrace change whereby public resources will never be stolen, justice
will be served, police will stand with the innocent and law makers will promote
public interest(P133-134). Due to Nicole’s influence, she is offered a new
position as the director general in the municipal council where she will be a
consultant with oversight powers over all the departments in the municipality
and will be answerable only to the mayor(P135). Nicole says that they do not
need new offices or positions. She says that the change they desire is the
change of heart and spirit among the people but mostly among the leaders(P135).
That is taking responsibility for the well-being of the municipality and
abiding by the laws(P135-136). She blames the leaders for being interested in
personal gains, dipping their fingers into the public till and breaching the
law. When the leaders are arrested, Alvita echoes Nicole’s sentiments that you
can never escape from the consequences of your actions(P138). Surely, an
ordinary person’s effort can initiate change in society.
Lastly, Ms Nicole champions for change when she advises
her students to ape the Samaritan in the Good Book by standing up for a cause
that can bring a better tomorrow for all of them(P52). When the Samaritan saw
the injured Jew, despite holding a different view on religion and the hostility
that existed between Jews and Samaritans, he treated the man with compassion,
dressed his wounds and took him to a safe place. This is unlike the priest and
the Levite who did not stop to help the man. Ms Nicole rightly posits that the
leaders and public officials cannot come to the aid of the people. They are
like the priest and the Levite who ignored the injured Jew. They talk about
pursuing public interest but they are not committed. They are shepherds who
have turned against the sheep. Ms Nicole points out that it is up to all of
them, ordinary citizens, without any claim to any office, to be one another’s
keepers and to take care of one another(P51). Ordinary citizens can be there
for one another through the Samaritan app which is an excellent platform(P51). It
gives everyone an opportunity to speak out against wrongdoing, share ideas that
would make life better, do the right thing and take responsibility for the
progress of the municipality. She assures Alvita and Montano that the Samaritan
will change the course of history and urges them to strive to improve their
lives and not chicken out at every obstacle or threat(P52). Surely, through the
efforts of ordinary people we can witness change.
In conclusion, ordinary people like Nicole can institute
change. She inspires others like Alvita, Montano, the reporters and editors,
the hawkers and touts to agitate for change. Although she is a simple teacher,
she is a beacon of change in Maracas Municipality.
THE SAMARITAN ESSAYS QUESTIONS
Using public
funds to enrich oneself cannot bring true happiness. Write an essay in support
of this statement, citing illustrations from John Lara's The Samaritan.
Some people use
money meant to be invested in the public sector to make themselves wealthy or
wealthier. This does not give them the fulfilling or satisfying feeling that
comes with true happiness. They may have the riches but they lack the peace and
harmony of body, mind and soul. In The Samaritan by John Lara, leaders
like Ted and Seymour use public funds to enrich themselves but this does not
give them true happiness.
Jaden uses
public funds to enrich himself but this does not give him true happiness. Justice
Ian Jaden is the principal judge in Maracas Municipality. He has countless
mistresses and relatives doing business with the municipal council(P69). Together
with his mistress Ivy, he is involved in the grain scandal. He uses his
position to compel Mossi to award Ivy a contract for killing rats and other
rodents ravaging rice and cornfields in the municipality(P106). His company, Prime
Orchard Farm, was rearing rats which were let loose into the farms. They would
then kill and parade some but the whole idea was to undermine domestic
production in order to increase demand for imported grains. Prime Orchard Farm
is one of the largest corn importers in the municipality(P107). To Jaden, using
his public office to amass a fortune for himself seemed a normal thing since
everybody else was doing it. Litigants gave him money and he ruled kisses in
their favour. It worked and he accumulated wealth. He looked forward to
retiring soon and enjoying the fruits of his labour. He is like the foolish
rich man in the good book who also prepared to retire and enjoy his wealth(P112).
Instead of enjoying, he suffers. He holds his stomach with both hands while
bending down. He suffers from stomach ulcers and hallucinations. Mossi wants
him to jail Ramdaye and his team but this puts Jaden in a dilemma because he
helped some friends by making a biased ruling and they paid him by giving him
shares in a company the municipal council is suing. He claims the ethos
operating in society influences his thinking and action as a judge(P116). He
does not enjoy true happiness even after amassing wealth. He has been tormented
by the issue of the rodents. He has been seeing rats and other rodents running
all over the place and he has been catching the awful smell of sewer rats which
makes him want to throw up. His stomach aches. His ulcers have since
worsened(P117). Justice Jaden crouches under the boardroom table when accosted
by Tajo, the anti-corruption boss(P138). Together with others, he is handcuffed
and bundled out by the police officers(P139). Truly, true happiness cannot be
found by stealing public wealth.
Bembe also uses
public funds to make himself wealthy but this does not give him satisfaction or
fulfillment. People are wondering where he got the money to put up Madingo Golf
Club. He is shocked when he learns that people know it belongs to him having
kept his private affairs discreet(P26). He says that this is his worst
nightmare. This exposé comes at a time when he had just finished putting up his
hotel and is as broke as a church mouse(P31). He informs Mossi and Harvester
about the high likelihood of his untimely death anytime soon(P38). He found out
from The Samaritan that he is accused of corruption, violation of human rights,
drug peddling and extortion. This gives him the willies - a strong feeling of
nervous discomfort - and his blood sugar is not good. At one point he drifted
into a coma(P38). His hotel and home are also built on public land - Maracas
University land. A lobby group is moving to court to have it restored back to
the university (P40). With a dreadful expression on his face, Bembe says that that
would be a very unfortunate joke(P40). He breathes heavily and trembles. He also
gets a little bit hard of hearing. He had put all his life savings into the
hotel and home since he is retiring in a few months time(P41). The hotel was
built with bribes collected from motorists. The municipal police force is his
personal outfit for collecting bribes from the guilty and innocent alike. The
officers do not enforce law and order. They collect bribes for Bembe(P41). His foiled
attempt to intimidate Nicole puts him in more trouble. She is acquitted but he
is summoned to the capital by his bosses to explain the folly(P100). He tells Mossi
that they are doomed. He prefers to die than be an inmate or a homeless person.
His stomach has been running since The Samaritan came to town. He cannot last a
week in prison since he is diabetic(P99). He has run out of ideas and wants to flee
into the mountains, dig a hole and live there(P100). He does not enjoy his ill-gotten
wealth since he is eventually arrested by the anti corruption police. He
staggers and almost falls as he seeks cover but he is still handcuffed and
bundled out like a criminal. Indeed, stealing public wealth causes misery not
true happiness.
Seymour, the
secretary in charge of planning and development, uses public funds to enrich
himself but this does not give him true happiness. Mossi calls him a senseless thief.
He was elected just the other day as a poor and jigger-infested hoodlum. Now he
is living like a king in grandiose villas and mansions, eating delicacies in
classy hotels and driving state-of-the-art vehicles. He cannot justify his
current financial status. Mossi wonders who doesn’t know that he has stolen the
money(P35). Seymour is accused of supplying air to the municipal council. Their
companies bill the municipal council huge sums of money every month without
rendering any services(P24). To cover up, he suggests they get money from the
municipal fund through reallocation of budget line items(P33). They could use
the problem of the waste disposal system which is in a terrible state to
justify the reallocation but use the money to fight against the prosecution(P33).
In the past, he has misused public funds through regular travel with enhanced
allowances, sitting allowances for unnecessary committee meetings, loans and
mortgages(P34). In his department of planning and development, one has to part
with dollars to get building approval. The inspectorate unit under him is also
riddled with corruption(P66). Seymour does not get true happiness from his
illicitly acquired wealth. His eldest child is always at rehab, the other one
is inebriated permanently at the casino and the wife is total garbage and a
perpetual drunk(P70). He is also arrested by the anti-corruption police. He is
handcuffed and bundled out of the room. Surely, ill-gotten wealth can never be a source of true
happiness.
Ted King
acquires wealth illegally by stealing public funds but this does not bring him
true happiness. Mossi calls him a senseless thief. Ted is the secretary, Department
of Health and environment. He was elected just the other day as a poor and jigger-infested
hoodlum. Now he lives in grandiose villas and mansions like a king, indulging
in delicacies in classy hotels and drives state-of-the-art vehicles. He cannot
justify his financial status. He stole public money(P35). He is accused
alongside Seymour of supplying air to the municipal council. Their companies bill
the municipal council huge sums of money without rendering any service(P24). He
supports Seymour’s suggestion of using municipal funds to take care of
investigators, lawyers, prosecutors and judges(P33). He is infamous for forcing
Mossi to misuse public funds for regular travel with enhanced allowances ,
sitting allowances for unnecessary
committee meetings, loans and mortgages(P34). Despite having stolen a lot of
public funds, he cannot raise a meaningful amount to fight the cases that may
be brought up against them(P31). Ted is accused of “eating” a whole hospital. He
ensured his companies and those of his friends won the tenders for bids for
construction of health centres. He stole all the money budgeted for health
centres and put up site offices that looked like cowsheds(P64). Ted is now
sickly despite accumulating wealth illegally(P65). When he offers Nicole a
golden ring, she declines and says that she doesn't wear them. This is awkward
and embarrassing (P132). Ted is later arrested by the anti-corruption police.
Indeed, stealing public funds to make one wealthy does not make one truly
happy.
Lastly, Mossi
also enriches himself using proceeds of corruption but this does not make him
truly happy. Seymour tells Mossi that he will never get away with the crimes
committed under his watch. He says that Mossi knows how much he has
stolen(P34). When he learns that people can use the app to share information
about the municipal procurement process, he scratches his head thoughtfully,
sips some water and turns uncertainly towards the school principal and then Harvester.
Mossi refuses to launch the app(P21) and convenes a meeting of key leaders to fight the app
instead because the information posted casts the leaders in bad light(P23). Mossi
admits that all the leaders have some skeletons in their closet(P29). In the
past, he has conceded to endless demands of misallocation of public funds
ranging from regular travel with enhanced allowances, sitting allowances for
unnecessary committee meetings, loans and mortgages(P34). He temporarily loses
consciousness when he learns that his deputy, Seymour and Ted are working to
bundle him out of office. He fears they will send him to prison. He sees Baneta
Express Prison any time he closes his eyes. He can even smell the revolting
stench in the cells though he has never been there(P33). Mossi is accused of
many crimes including municipal capture, which is the worst form of corruption
and abuse of office in which once private interests determine the direction of
public policy. Mossi is forced to own up
his mistakes and seek understanding and help from Ms Nicole, a simple school
teacher(P60). He even offers her and the students a bribe in his
desperation(P61). Mossi admits that he steals public wealth when he says that a
loaf of bread for the people comes through him and he takes three slices for
himself because he is part of the people(P69). He is also accused of inflating
costs of municipal projects and presiding over shoddy municipal works(P61). He
is forced to apologize to Nicole for treading on her toes(P132). He is also humiliated
when she turns down the offer of the prestigious position of director general
in the municipal council(P135). When confronted by the police officers
arresting them, he tries to hide behind Nicole(P138). Clearly, stealing public
funds to make one wealthy does not bring true happiness or satisfaction.
In conclusion,
those who steal public funds do not find joy or fulfillment, instead they
constantly worry about how they can protect their ill-gotten wealth.
THE SAMARITAN ESSAYS QUESTIONS
Some
people will go to any lengths to protect their position. Referring closely to
Mossi in John Lara's play The Samaritan, write an essay to
support this statement.
Some
people exert great effort to protect their jobs. Mayor Mossi is willing to do
extreme things to ensure that he does not lose his position as the mayor of
Maracas municipality.
Mossi
refuses to launch The Samaritan app in an effort to protect his job. He is
poised to officially launch the app in Maracas municipality. Oddly, he puts off
the launch since he knows that he could be exposed and thus jeopardize his
position especially in regard to the case of abuse of procurement and delivery
process. He claims he will launch it at his own convenient time. He orders
Nicole and the principal to halt any activities regarding the app until further
notice. The president is scheduled to launch it at the national level. Mossi
insists that The Samaritan has to be stopped. He orders Nicole to write to the
ministry of education to express his reservations. He expects a copy in his
office in one hour’s time. The only reason he declines to launch the innovation
is that he knows it might cost him his job. When corruption and other vices are
exposed, Mossi knows his position as mayor would hang in the balance. (P1, 3,
12, 15-18)
Mossi
intimidates Nicole and Narine as a way of protecting his job. He wants them to
halt activities regarding The Samaritan. He demands that Nicole writes to the
Ministry of Education to stop operations of the app. He raises his voice saying
that he is the mayor given mandate by thousands of people and that his decision
supersedes those of other government officials. He demands a copy of the letter
in an hour’s time. He also warns principal Narine to expect a lot of trouble if
his orders are not obeyed. He threatens both Nicole and Narine by pointing at
them with his walking stick. The principal is so intimidated that she tries to
compel Nicole to drop her pursuit. She compares her to a rat fighting an
elephant. She declares that the school has nothing to do with The Samaritan
App. This is because she feels threatened and gives up the fight. Mossi
considers The Samaritan a political weapon meant to destroy his career. He
visits the school several times in a bid to protect his position. He orders
Nicole to delete every post that casts him in bad light. He warns her of dire
consequences if the app is not stopped since it was damaging his reputation and
undermining his entire administration of the municipality. The intimidation is
aimed at protecting his job. (P16-19, 54-58, 71, 73, 129-130)
Mossi
convenes an emergency meeting with other leaders after being exposed on The
Samaritan. He wants to save his job. The municipal leaders suggest various ways
to stop The Samaritan and save their jobs. Their suggestions include hacking,
sending a circular banning the use of unauthorized apps, bribery, restitution,
talking to the innovators or the teacher etc. Mossi later meets his dependable
allies Bembe and Harvester when he learns that Ramdaye and others were planning
to remove him from office. He meets them to plan on how to avert this. Mossi is
simply keen on protecting his position. (P20-21, 25-36, 37-48)
Mossi
orders Harvester to do various things in a bid to protect his position. He asks
him to buy the newspapers from all the vendors. The headlines are extremely
damaging. He also asks him to prepare a comprehensive press statement focusing
on countering all allegations levelled against them. Mossi also asks Harvester
to plan a press conference every day to give the impression that the municipal
council was running normally. He also directs Harvester to issue a circular
that no app should be in use in Maracas unless authorized by the Prime Minister
or the Maracas Municipal Council. Mossi is hell bent on protecting his job as
the mayor. (P21, 28, 42-43)
Mossi is
forced to plead for mercy in an effort to save his job. Nicole is surprised
when the mayor visits her seeking her understanding and help. He begs her to
delete some negative information about him on The Samaritan app. He asks her to
prevail over the students that created the app. He even offers to bribe Nicole
and the students telling her to quote her figure, no matter how big. He spills
the beans about the rot in Maracas municipality and incriminates his fellow
leaders like Ted King and Seymour. He does this hoping Nicole would understand
his situation and help him survive the onslaught in The Samaritan. His
obsequious façade is meant to protect his job. (P60-71)
Mossi
resorts to blackmailing the principal judge Jaden in order to protect his
position. He tries to convince judge Jaden to convict Ramdaye and company. He
plans to blackmail him using the grain scandal. He wants legal proceedings to
be instituted against Ramdaye who is planning to remove him from office. He
offers to pay Jaden for the trouble. Mossi threatens to blackmail Jaden who is
culpable in the rats and other rodents scandal because of his association with
Prime Orchard Farm. When Jaden is adamant to play ball, Mossi instructs Bembe
to arrest the owners and the manager of the farm. He reveals a lot of
incriminating information about Jaden’s mistress Ivy, Jaden’s bias as a judge
as regards to his company, corruption etc. Jaden has no choice but to
cooperate. Mossi gives him instructions to convict Ramdaye and Basdeo and jail
Seymour and Ted. Mossi's main mission is to prevent them from removing him from
office through a vote of no confidence. He goes to all this trouble to protect
his position. (P102-105, 108-109, 111-112)
Mossi even
uses violence to try and protect his position as mayor. Ramdaye and company
plan to hold a meeting to remove Mossi from office. Mossi plans to mobilize his
gang, the Red Eagle Network, to disrupt the meeting set to be held at the
municipal headquarters. Bembe plans to support him by getting his gang,
Ghettoboyz, and some undercover police to support Mossi’s youth network. The
head of Red Eagle Gang, Black Man, was to liaise with Harvester to get funds to
pay the youth, buy mattresses, sacks and polythene papers to be used to create
chaos and stop the meeting. The mayor manages to violently disrupt the meeting.
Ramdaye, Seymour and Ted meet the brutal wrath of Mossi’s thugs. Mossi does all
this in order to stop them from mobilizing the municipal council to pass the no
confidence motion against him. He thanks Bembe for stopping the meeting.
Ramdaye and his team plan to have a massive political rally in an effort to
remove Mossi from office but he plans to counter this using his violent gangs.
He pulls all the stops to protect his job. (P45-46, 74-75, 101)
In
conclusion, some people will do anything to protect their position including
going to unimaginable extremes.
THE SAMARITAN ESSAYS QUESTIONS
People who use their position of power for
personal gains suffer when their actions are exposed. Citing relevant
illustrations from John Lara's play The Samaritan, write an essay
to support this statement.
Some
people use their position of influence to benefit or advantage themselves
rather than the people they are supposed to serve. When they are exposed, such
people agonize as they try to save face or protect their wealth or positions.
Jaden and Bembe are examples of leaders who suffer after acquiring wealth
illegally.
Mossi uses
his position as the mayor of Maracas municipality for his own gain but he
suffers when his actions are exposed. He admits that he has some skeletons in
his closet. He is accused of municipal capture. This is the worst form of
corruption and abuse of office where his private interests determine the
direction of public policy. He is also guilty of inflating costs of projects. He
admits that he steals part of the loaf meant for the public but dismisses his
mistakes as natural and excusable. Mossi suffers when all this is exposed. He
admits that the Samaritan is a huge nightmare and the exposé causes him to lose
consciousness temporarily. He is unable to eat. In panic, he forces Harvester
to buy all newspapers and to organize a press conference to save face. He is
also forced to drop his demeanour of a tough mayor and visit Ms. Nicole to own
up his mistakes and beg for her understanding and help. He begs her to help him
survive the onslaught in the Samaritan. He is also forced to apologize to her
for treading on her toes. He tries to hide behind Nicole when accosted by
police. He is eventually arrested. (P29, 34, 37-40, 43, 51-53, 60, 62, 68-69,
71, 132, 139)
Bembe
misuses his position as the Municipal Inspector General of Police for his own
gain. He owns Madingo Golf Club which is built on public land - Maracas
University land. The hotel was built using proceeds of corruption collected
from motorists thus the hotel is nicknamed Motorists’ Highway Hotel. The
Inspector General has transformed the Municipal Police Force into his personal
outfit for collecting bribes for him. He is guilty of countless counts of
corruption and extortion. When exposed, Bembe is worried about the likelihood
of his untimely death owing to his blood sugar levels. He even drifts into a
coma. His heavy breathing and sweating are a testament to his suffering. He
knows that he is doomed but he prefers death to being jailed or homeless.
Trying to arrest and have Ms. Nicole convicted on trumped up charges cause him
embarrassment when he is summoned by his bosses. He thinks of fleeing to the
mountain to dig a hole and live there. He is later forced to apologise to Ms.
Nicole. Finally, he is arrested. (P 26, 37-38, 40-41, 99-100, 132, 138)
Judge Ian
Jayden the principal judge at Maracas Municipality misuses his public office to
amass a fortune for himself but he later regrets. His mistresses and relatives
are doing business with the municipal council. He also hawks justice like
cabbages. In order to accumulate wealth, he collects bribes from litigants to
determine cases in their favour. He makes biased rulings and gets paid using
company shares. The judge is involved in the grain scandal. His mistress Ivy is
illegally awarded a contract for eliminating rats and other rodents since Jaden
is a senior officer. The idea was to undermine local production of grains so
that his company Prime Orchard benefits from importation. When he is exposed,
he suffers from stomach ulcers and hallucinations. The issue torments him
badly. He sees rats running all over and catches the smell of sewer rats. The
awful smell makes him want to throw up. The sight of imaginary rats makes him
scream and run away. Nicole declines his proposal of a contract as director general
in the municipal council. He crouches under the table when confronted by the
police. Eventually, judge Ian Jaden is arrested. (P69, 102, 106-109, 112,
116-117, 123, 134, 138)
Seymour
uses his position as the secretary in charge of planning and development for
his personal gain but he suffers when he is exposed. He is accused of supplying
air to the municipality. His companies are paid huge sums of money every month
without rendering any services. He has also benefited from past misallocation
of funds including enhanced travel allowances, sitting allowances, loans and
mortgages. He was elected recently but now lives in grandiose villas, drives
state-of-the-art vehicles and dines in classy hotels thanks to the stolen
public money. To get a building plan in his department, one simply needs to
part with dollars to bribe Seymour and those working under him. When he is
exposed, he is worried about possible prosecution and conviction. He ponders
and suggests several ideas to help him walk scot free, including liaising with
judge Jaden, persuading the students to drop the matter, talking to the
principal herself and using money from the municipal council to fight the case.
The exposé causes a fallout between Seymour and Mossi with the former
threatening to hound the mayor out of office. His suffering culminates in his
eventual arrest by the anti-corruption police. (P24, 29-36, 38, 66, 212, 138)
Ted King
uses his position as the municipal secretary for health and environment to
acquire personal wealth but this comes back to haunt him when he is exposed. He
supplies air to the municipal council. His companies are paid handsomely for
services not rendered. He has benefited from past misallocation of funds
including hefty travel allowances, sitting allowances for unnecessary meetings,
loans and mortgages. Despite being elected recently, he now lives like a king
in a grandiose villa, drives ultra-modern vehicles and dines in classy hotels
despite being poor just the other day. His current financial status is funded
by stolen money. He ensures companies associated with his friends and relatives
win tenders for construction of health facilities. Together they steal all the
money budgeted for construction. When exposed, Ted is worried that he could end
up in Baneta Express Prison. He suggests getting help from judge Jaden or using
money to bribe authorities involved in a bid to avoid prosecution and
imprisonment. He has a difficult time trying to convince councillors and
aldermen to impeach Mossi. He is part of the team that tries to offer Nicole a
good job at the municipality. She declines both the job and a ring he offers
her. The final nail on the coffin is when Ted King is arrested.(P24, 33-36, 64,
138)
Lastly,
Ramdaye misuses his position as deputy mayor and secretary in charge of
infrastructure for his selfish gains. Ramdaye sells Maracas University land to
Bembe. He also does a shoddy job on construction and maintenance of secondary
roads yet the council pays a lot of money for the roads. He also uses his position
to ensure only his company and those of his relatives win tenders for road
construction, construction of bridges, pavements, drains and water courses but
they misappropriate the funds in the long run. Instead of whistleblowing on the
Rodengate affair, he accepts bribes and company shares for his own benefit.
When exposed, he frantically joins the other leaders in trying to save face. He
suggests raising loans or selling their property to raise funds to fight the
cases. He falls out with the mayor and attempts to impeach him. He suffers when
he is arrested for stealing public funds. (P41, 62-63, 112, 138)
In conclusion, acquiring money or wealth illegally because of one’s position may result in agony or misery when the misdeed is revealed. Integrity is a vital virtue.
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