Door still open for dialogue with PSC over parking meters- Bulkan

Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan in an article published in the State-owned Newspaper today has challenged the assertion by the Private Sector Commission that Central Government nor the Mayor and City Council made any efforts to consult with the Business community regarding the implementation of the Parking Meter System.

Minister Bulkan said the door is still open for talks with the Private Sector Commission (PSC) regarding metered parking in the capital city. He rejected statements in the media attributed to the PSC that criticize both the Ministry of Communities and the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) for not engaging the Business community to get their views on the parking meters.

The Minister made reference to an article in one of the dailies which quoted the PSC as saying the City Council has displayed unmatched arrogance in their refusal to engage businesses in any attempt to compromise.

To this, Bulkan said he has not received a response from the PSC regarding a letter sent to them from his office, noting that such failure to take advantage of the opportunity afforded through his invitation could be interpreted as a refusal by the PSC to engage the M&CC through his ministry.

Meanwhile, the PSC in a statement said no responses were received to a letter to the Mayor of November 25. It noted that on January 11, the Commission received a letter from the Minister in which he stated that the letter had been written in response to the Commission’s letter of November 24, 2016, to His Excellency the President.

According to the entity, the letter further noted that the information duly enclosed had been provided by the Mayor in response to the Commission’s letter to the President. It then proceeded to relay to the Private Sector Commission three pages of the Mayor’s opinions.

The private sector further stated that in August of 2016 when the idea of parking meters being installed in the City by the Mayor and City Council was first introduced, the Commission convened a meeting with the Mayor and other representatives of the M&CC.

It claimed that at this meeting when it became evident that the Council was not prepared to concede to any of the concerns of the private sector, the idea of a Tri-Partite Committee being formed was first mooted.

According to the body, it was made clear to the participants that the purpose of the Tri-Partite Committee was to promote dialogue between the Private Sector Commission and the Council and to arrive at a mutually agreed position which would ensure that the Council increased its revenue without unduly burdening the citizens and the businesses which plied their trade in the Capital.

The PSC said after the first few meetings, it became increasingly clear that the Council was only paying lip-service to the initiative since it soon became inconvenient for them to attend meetings because the Mayor either was abroad or was otherwise indisposed and no Deputy was authorized to represent her.

Read full PSC statement here: https://admin.newsroom.gy/2017/02/04/psc-says-mcc-only-paying-lip-service-to-tri-partite-committee-on-parking-meter/