Parking meter scandal
…party’s hypocritical position criticised
Another rift seems to be developing between the Alliance For Change (AFC) and the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) after the minor political force – on the second anniversary of the signing of the Cummingsburg Accord – lambasted the APNU-aligned Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase Green for her attacks against AFC Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan.
The AFC declared that it would not take lightly the “unwarranted attacks” meted out by the Mayor against Duncan, noting that an attack against any member of the party was invariably an attack against the party itself.
Chase Green had accused Duncan of propagating misinformation on the parking meter project to the public and causing civil unrest.
“The party condemns, in the strongest possible terms, this unwarranted attack on Mr Duncan,” it said in a statement to the media on Tuesday.
In this regard, the AFC called on the Mayor to immediately withdraw her accusations, offer an unqualified apology and take a more conciliatory approach towards resolving the issue of the widespread rejection of the “indecent and oppressive” parking meter contract.
In deepening the rift, the AFC belatedly criticised the APNU Mayor for her part in the shady deal, which practically sold out Georgetown to private investors.
“It is the view of the party that it is in fact the Mayor, along with the Town Clerk and those who were secretly involved in negotiating and signing off on this sordid contract, who must take responsibility rather than seek to cast blame elsewhere,” the AFC emphasised.
The party highlighted that it was unquestionably the initial and continued secrecy, lack of transparency surrounding the contract, the bad negotiating, lack of consultation with the people and poor implementation, which were the main reasons, among others, for the widespread rejection of the paid metered parking initiative.
The AFC further noted that while it remained committed to the coalition, it would not stand for the disrespect and attacks such as essayed by the APNU Mayor on its Councillors, leaders or members.
Hypocritical
However, AFC’s backing of Duncan’s position is viewed by many in the political realm and civil society as belated as the party is now attempting to make the issue a political football when it could have stood up for citizens from the inception of the project. One such person, who came out publicly swinging at the AFC for its belated position is People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament (MP) Irfaan Ali, who called out the AFC over its hypocrisy as it did not support the parking meter motion which was tabled in the National Assembly.
Patricia Chase Green
Sherod Duncan
The motion had called for a debate on the transparency of the project, method of procurement involved, terms and conditions of the contract, and the overall lack of consultation with stakeholders.
Ali, who had tabled the motion, contended that the AFC could not claim to be an innocent party, nor could it divorce itself from the collective decision by Government when the APNU-aligned Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan signed the by-laws for the project to be implemented.
“The Government, of which the AFC is a part, has the ability and power to suspend the project as the very Government has the majority of Councillors on the City Council,” the politician argued. He also noted that notwithstanding the many appeals from the public and the parliamentary Opposition for an urgent intervention, the Government never budged in allowing a constructive re-evaluation of the “glaringly biased and detrimental” project.
To this end, Ali contended that the AFC must answer why it refused to support his motion, which was presented to the National Assembly, if it truly was concerned.
PNC-led gang
Meanwhile, the signatories of the parking meter contract, which was signed in secrecy, are Chase Green; Town Clerk Royston King; City Hall’s Finance Committee Chairman, Oscar Clarke and Clarke’s predecessor and Councillor, Junior Garrett. On the contract, which was seen by Guyana Times, three other spaces intended for Councillors to sign as witnesses were left blank.
