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.
