MAPM sends reminder of lasting opposition to contract

Parking meter burden
The Movement Against Parking Meters on Monday recommenced its activism by staging a less extravagant protest in front of City Hall to post a reminder of its ongoing opposition to the parking meter project.
This demonstration coincided with the swearing in of the mayor and new deputy mayor of the Georgetown City Council, officially commencing the fiscal year ahead.
Following a three-week pause, the protestors have again assembled to reiterate their call for the revocation of the parking meter contract. Members of the significantly smaller crowd maintained their position of questioning the feasibility and legality of the agreement between the M&CC and the overseas-based Smart City Solutions. At the frontline of the demonstration was organiser of MAPM, Don Singh, who highlighted the motive behind the abrupt staging of the protest. Singh pointed out that “MAPM is around, we have not gone anywhere.”
The lead activist went on to say, “Three weeks have passed, we have not seen much action; there have not been any consultations or anything. So we just thought (that), at the beginning of the fiscal year of the Mayor and City Council, we should show a small presence just to let them know that MAPM is watching. We are vigilant and we are around.”
According to Singh, the M&CC has been quiet on the matter since it was placed under consultation three weeks ago. However, he noted that if no update is given by the ninth week, the protests would return in full force.
Sharing a similar view was attorney Roger Yearwood, who called for the revocation of the parking meter project. Yearwood pointed out that while the pay-to-park project is currently on suspension for three months, “We are just letting them know that we haven’t forgotten them.” Furthermore, Yearwood posited, “They (M&CC) are hoping that we would go away, disappear. Three months from now, when they bring it back, we will still be here protesting.”
However, while the demonstrators were calling for action on the parking meter fiasco, an unidentified woman disrupted the protest to shed light on other issues affecting the nation. The passerby called for action against the deficiencies of the medical sector, highlighting the shortage of drugs and unavailability of adequate space for mothers and newborn babies at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
The Movement Against Parking Meters’ protest convened just moments after Patricia Chase-Green was reinstated as mayor and Lionel Jaikaran as deputy mayor of Georgetown at City Hall. It was at this event that Mayor Chase-Green announced that consultations into the parking meter contract will commence on Wednesday.