M&CC must not be allowed to mortgage lives of unborn Guyanese

Dear Editor,

The Mayor has indicated that she will move forward with this Parking Meter Project, which will see the profits leaving the shores of Guyana. This is being done on the backs of the citizens, even the unborn.

It seems that Cush did a bait-and-switch on the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) by using his influence in Guyana and enticed the M&CC into believing that this is a good project for Guyana. He presented his company that had no experience, hence he lied, and then introduced Smart City Solutions (SCS). This, itself is problematic. National Parking Systems (NPS) is out of the picture and SCS is the company that eventually signed the contract with M&CC.

There has been a lot of information circulating about the companies, NPS, SCS, and its principals, Kamua Cush, Amir Oren and Simon Moshel, aka Simon Mosheshvili. To date, the SCS nor M&CC has denied any of these accusations. As such I am laying them out in a succinct manner and ask either of these parties to deny or confirm them by providing the necessary proof.

1) Why was the procurement policies not followed, and this project not advertised and other vendors encouraged to submit proposals? This is considered to be good procurement practice, one of the pillars of transparent governing.

2) Who in Guyana conducted the feasibility studies? And what were the findings? I find it rather bizarre that the M&CC would not have conducted this study, but the company who was awarded this lucrative deal did. You can bet if I wanted to sell the M&CC a nuclear bomb, I can conduct a study and show them why they should arm themselves with a bomb.

3) As with projects of this magnitude, did NPS or SCS provide at least three years of audited financial statements to show that the companies are in good financial standings and have the capabilities for such a product? This would also include a letter from their bankers. I suspect that this did not happen because the evidence shows SCS incorporated in Guyana and the US in 2016. This means the companies never existed prior to 2016 and could not have the financial assets for this project.

4) If the companies were only formed in 2016, then it follows they do not have the background nor experience in the parking domain as they claim. It has already been proven that after Mark Jacobs exposed him a while ago, a quick attempt was made to launch one. Cush copied another website wholesale with minor changes; hence easy to prove plagiarism; a very serious charge for a writer. SCS does not have a website. Remarkable in this digital age.

5) Cush has not denied that he spent time in jail for larceny; hence one must believe that this is true.

6) Mosheshvili has also not denied that he has spent time in jail for smuggling cigarettes. Interestingly Oren is the face on the ground now and not Mosheshvili.

7) Did NPS and SCS provide references for previous completed projects? This is a norm in the business world.

It is difficult for a layperson like myself to understand how this contract can be legal when it was borne out of some many deceptions and withholding of the truth by NPS and SCS to the M&CC. Either that or the M&CC deliberately ignored these important pieces of information, which is essential to do the necessary due diligence.

This is what is circulating in the social media today and causing angst in the community. The Mayor, Town Clerk, or SCS can clear the air by responding to the items mentioned above.

Sincerely,

Michael Annamunthodo