FITUG cites Mayor’s “arrogance”

Parking meter burden

…as motorists continue “starvation”

As motor vehicle operators continue their widespread deprivation of parking meters fees, which were supposedly reinstituted on Monday, the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG), registered its rejection of the Parking Meter Project in Georgetown.

FITUG, in a statement issued on Monday, rejected the 50 per cent reduction in charges, noting that this is just a “compromise” to give City Hall and the Mexican Company time to “explore other schemes in pursuit of profits and revenues squeezed from the already hard-pressured population besieged today by heavy taxation, rising consumer costs and oppressive measures emanating from the Governmental bureaucracy.”

FITUG joined the long list of stakeholders who are calling for a complete cancelation of the project. The combined union bodies suggested that it would be unopposed if Government brokers the cancelation between the council and the company, Smart City Solutions (SCS).

“FITUG pledges its support for the cancellation of the current contract and offers its full support to Councillor and Deputy Mayor, Sherod Duncan for his principled stand against the absence of transparency in the negotiations from the outset,” the organisation noted.

FITUG also expressed stinging criticisms of how the Mayor executes her duties.

“We consider that the Mayor’s misguided arrogance against the young Deputy Mayor does no credit to their so-called ‘Coalition policies’.”

FITUG also expressed displeasure over Central Government’s handling of the project.

“We were extremely upset that in the context of the Granger Administration’s boast about transparency and accountability, the contract, being foisted with Smart City Solutions, was concluded between the Mayor and a selected cabal of Councillors before the whole Council and citizens got wind of them,” FITUG noted.

“We are despondent with the Central Government’s ambivalent approach to this bread and butter cost of living issue,” the organisation added, noting that all Government is doing is “pretending to respect City Hall’s autonomy” by taking a “non-intervention” stance.

“After limited scrutiny of the shady MCC/SCS contract, both the Attorney General’s Office and the Ministry of Finance were obliged to investigate. Both Government entities repudiated many sections of the ‘confidential’ agreement, forcing a few amendments, which, as we understand still favoured the company heavily,” FITUG added.

Meanwhile, acting Chief Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards’ approved an order bringing paid parking, penalties and the implementation of the Parking Meter Contract in Georgetown, to a halt. However, Attorney-at-Law Pauline Chase, on Saturday, explained that the action to reinstate penalties may warrant contempt of court and as such, the appropriate legal action would be filed. Chase who is a member of the Movement Against Parking Meters (MAPM) also explained that as the By-laws were only gazetted on February 3, citizens who were subjected to penalties in the period from January 24 can seek redress from the courts to reimbursement and damages.

The court order prohibits the respondents, Mayor Chase Green and the Town Clerk from making “any amendments thereto for the establishment of parking meters in Georgetown with Smart City Solutions and all acts and things thereafter which flowed from that decision.”

A walk around of the city on Monday morning revealed that very few operators paid to park and many told this publication that are not paying on the grounds that there is a court injunction halting fines. Additionally, there were no signs of meter wardens or clamped vehicles on Camp Street, Main Street and sections of Carmichael and Waterloo Streets.

At a Town Hall meeting held at the Saint Stanislaus College on Saturday, many of those present signed MAPM’s petition which objects to the implementation of the meters on the grounds that there was a lack of transparency with the process, lack of adherence to the stipulations of the Public procurement process.

The petition also calls for the Georgetown Mayor and City Council to disclose documents related to Feasibility and Impact Studies and reports and minutes from meetings held before the parking meters were implemented.