FOLLOWING recent news reports that seemingly fruitful negotiations have been ongoing between Smart City Solutions (SCS) and the Mayor and City Council (M&CC)’s renegotiating team, the Movement Against Parking Meters (MAPM) says it stands ready to return to the streets to protest.

A release from the MAPM highlighted that while the movement is unopposed to a structured system for traffic regulation within the central areas of the city, including measures to facilitate the orderly parking of vehicles and the need for the M&CC to increase their revenue base, it is against the current agreement with SCS.

As such, the MAPM release stated, “We therefore stand ready to mobilise our supporters to resume our street protests and exercise any and all options available to us to prevent this abomination from moving forward.”

It sought to highlight once more the numerous irregularities and discrepancies in the contract between SCS and the M&CC and thus related, “The MAPM will not compromise on its position that the contract between the City Council and SCS suffers from a number of procedural and other deficiencies and may be deemed illegal due to breaches of various laws.”

It was revealed that the movement takes umbrage to the announcement of the possible resumption of the contract with SCS despite scores of Guyanese relentlessly highlighting the numerous deficiencies in the process of selecting and engaging Smart City Solutions as the provider of parking meter services in Georgetown.

Furthermore, the release said, “The thirteen councilors who voted to renegotiate this corrupt contract have demonstrated their laxity for transparency and due process,” and highlighted that the five members of the renegotiating committee of this corrupt contract were some of the same aforementioned thirteen that allegedly have no regard for impartiality.

Also, it was stated that “it speaks volumes” that there is the renegotiating of a project that lacks a public feasibility study and cost analysis seeking to perhaps resume the project. The study and analysis were pertinent features requested time and time again by the public; even highlighted in the Chairman of the Former Renegotiating committee Malcolm Ferreira’s report.

“MAPM is not prepared to support, neither allow the successful renegotiation of this corrupt contract or the resumption of the parking meter system in Georgetown by SCS regardless of the minimal cost attached,” the release said. The Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan was also called on to not release the suspension of the parking meter bylaws.