Dear Editor,
The Mayor has indicated that she will move forward with this parking meter project, which will see the profits leaving the shores of Guyana. This is being done on the backs of the citizens, even the unborn.
It seems that Mr Cush did a bait and switch on the M&CC by using his influence in Guyana and enticed the M&CC into believing that this is a good project for Guyana. He presented his company that had no experience, and then introduced SCS. This itself is problematic. NPS is out of the picture and SCS is the company that eventually signed the contract with the M&CC.
There has been a lot of information circulating about the companies, NPS, SCS and its principals, Kamau Cush, Amir Oren and Simon Mosheshvili. To date, neither SCS nor M&CC has denied any of these allegations.
1) Why were procurement policies not followed, and this project not advertised and other vendors encouraged to submit proposals? This is considered to be good procurement practice, one of the pillars of transparent government.
2) Who in Guyana conducted the feasibility studies? And what were the findings? I find it rather bizarre that M&CC would not have conducted this study, but the company which was awarded this lucrative deal did.
3) As with projects of this magnitude, did NPS or SCS provide at least three years of audited financial statements to show that the companies are in good financial standing and have the capabilities for such a product? This would also include a letter from their bankers. I suspect that this did not happen because the evidence shows SCS was incorporated in Guyana and the US in 2016.
4) If the companies were only formed in 2016, then it follows they do not have the background nor experience in the parking domain that they claim. SCS does not have a website. Remarkable in this digital age.
5) Mr Cush has not denied that he spent time in jail for larceny; hence one must believe that this is true.
6) Mr Mosheshvili also has not denied that he has spent time in jail for smuggling cigarettes. Interestingly Mr Oren is the face on the ground now and not Mr Mosheshvili.
7) Did NPS and SCS provide references for previous completed projects. This is a norm in the business world.
It is difficult for a layperson like myself to understand how this contract can be legal, when it was born out of so much lack of transparency on the part of NPS & SCS to M&CC. Either that or M&CC deliberately ignored these important pieces of information, which are essential in order to do the necessary due diligence.
This is what is circulating in the social media today and causing angst in the community. The Mayor, Town Clerk, or SCS can clear the air by responding to the items mentioned above.
Yours faithfully,
Michael Annamunthodo