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Govt. wouldn’t intervene in controversial metered parking for Georgetown …Harmon says City Hall must be allowed to govern
Citizens during a protest last year against the introduction of parking meters.
It appears that central Government intends to keep the newly approved controversial bylaws for metered parking in Georgetown at arm’s length.
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon addressed the matter on Thursday at his post-Cabinet media briefing, three days after the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) passed revised bylaws to re-implement the parking meter system across the city.
“The Government has not made a statement with respect to paid parking. What we felt is that there is need for order in the city and that the City Council in its deliberations and judgment recognized that this is the way to go and I believe that we must allow the City Council to function as a City Council and not just as an arm of Government,” Harmon told reporters.
Thirteen Councillors voted in support of the project, two voted against and two persons abstained during an Extraordinary Statutory Meeting held at City Hall.
In opposing the passage of the bylaws of the contentious project, Councillor Malcolm Ferreira warned the Council of the impending decision of the High Court as it regards the legality of the contract between City Hall and Smart City Solutions (SCS).
Last year amid widespread public outcry, including weekly street protests by civil society and groups, central government suspended the parking meter bylaws. As a result, a matter was filed in Court challenging the legality of the bylaws.
Harmon noted that the Government required certain things with respect to the contract. He explained that the council acted within the law and bylaws under which the Council operates.
According to Harmon, M&CC is an independent body. Government would only intervene in cases where the city has requested an intervention or in cases where actions are taken that affect in a serious way the safety and security of citizens.
He said that the decisions that are being made are in the remit of the city council. Unless an approach is made to the Government, there will be no intervention.
“The people elected them to govern the affairs of the city and they must be given that opportunity to govern. Sometime later this year, you will have an opportunity to have a referendum as to whether in fact the city fathers and mothers are doing a good job. Allow them to function because it must not be said that we were not allowed to function,” Harmon noted.
The revised bylaws must be publicized across the City for at least 14 days before they are sent to Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, for approval and thereafter published in the Official Gazette.
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