Published 2014. The Coup is On. Ken Puddicombe takes an insightful look at the execution of a coup by the military on the island of Saint Anglia in the West Indies.
“Every revolution evaporates, leaving behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy,” –Franz Kafka (1863-1924)
Can an individual make a difference when powerful forces are aligned against democracy? Can someone avoid the stigma of his heritage? These are the central themes of Junta.
It is 1979. After an absence of over three decades, professor MARCUS JACOBSON has returned to Saint Anglia in the West Indies to take up a position at the university. Marcus comes from a long line of sugar barons and is now hoping to bury the skeletons in his closet. GENERAL MARKS, head of the armed forces is power hungry and sees himself as head of a re-federated West Indies. His Aide, CAPTAIN STEVENSON recruits THE REVEREND, previously of Jonestown, Guyana infamy. Stevenson once hoped to fast-track his career through MELANIE SANDERSON, the daughter of the last Premier of the island prior to independence.
Opposition to General Marks will come from several sources. CLARENCE BAPTISTE, an expat, owner of the Gleaner newspaper, once fiercely critical of the deposed corrupt government, is now determined to maintain the independence of his newspaper. FATHER BERT, someone who believes Liberation Theology concepts should be implemented to reform the church and solve the economic disparity so prevalent in many Caribbean islands.
Marcus is reluctant, at first, to join the opposition to the Junta. He feels that his heritage and long absence from the island do not give him the right to intervene. When he sees the brutality of the Junta, however, he joins the alliance with Father Bert, Clarence Baptiste and Melanie. Together, they will attempt to force a return to democracy.
Everything comes to a head when Marcus and his co-conspirators are picked up by The Reverend. The Junta wants to know the extent of the plot, who else is involved. Amid all the chaos and turbulence, Hurricane David strikes. Floods and food shortages result, arson and looting break out in the city.
Will Marcus and the conspirators survive the brutal response of the Junta? Will democracy be restored to Saint Anglia?
MiddleRoad Publishers