Latest update April 17th, 2024 12:59 AM
Feb 26, 2017 Letters
Dear Editor,
Allow me to share with your readers in this the first of two letters (the other forthcoming) my reflections on what I wish to describe as the “rise and fall” of Mr. Ifa Kamau Cush, I think that this is a fair conclusion to arrive at, given his role in the parking meter project, which he was instrumental in bringing to Guyana, and his eventual booting out of Smart City Solution INC (SCS).
I have known Cush for many years beginning from when he first surfaced in Guyanese public consciousness in the mid-90s after he returned home and led a grass-roots movement in the African Community that was responsible for restoring the 1763 monument. I cannot recall all the circumstances that led to his exit from Guyana shortly after that successful endeavor. If my memory is anything to go by, his hasty departure in part had to do with the hostility directed against him by the then PPP government.
In his recent return to Guyana, he emerged not as an African activist but instead as a businessman promoting INVESTMENTs which took the form of convincing leading officials from the Georgetown City Council to sign on to a parking meter project with Smart City Solutions INC (SCS). In spite of the fact that Cush tried to give the impression that he was the instigator and leading financier of the project it became increasingly clear as time went by that he was in fact, the front man for the company.
Cush’s success with the 1763 monument might have played a role in him winning over key Council Officials to ink the contract with his business interests, thereby sidelining Mr. Saratu Phillips and his Astroloble Technology Inc. that had a contract with the Council since 2007 for the establishing of parking meters in Georgetown.
While this observation I am now about to make is not directly related to the parking meter project, I think it is worth making since it will help in developing an understanding of the rise and fall of Cush. In my view, he made some impact on public consciousness when he appeared as a guest on a television programme. In that interview, he shocked the moderator and many viewers by his passionate support for Mr. Donald Trump and more so, his eventual prediction – to the dismay of the interviewer – that Trump would win the US Presidential elections.
As matters turned out he was proven correct. Knowing Cush as I do and taking into consideration his personality, I am convinced that he consciously sought to exploit the renewed attention he got in local political circles, after his interview engagement and successful prediction of a Trump victory in the US Presidential elections. In some quarters, he was now seen not only as Kamau Cush, an African nationalist, but also as Kamau Cush a US/Guyanese businessman and member of the powerful Republican Political Party with possibly strong connections in Washington. Given the above I was not surprised that he continued to find favor with the powers that be, both in City Hall and presumably, by some in Central Government, and this in spite of the controversy which had already emerged over the parking meters contract.
The parking meter fiasco has been mired in controversy from the inception. Its existence is characterized by secrecy and lack of transparency. The details of the contract were never made known to the full council or to the public whose interest the Council was charged with protecting. Only Mayor Patricia Chase-Green, Town Clerk, Royston King, Oscar Clarke, Chairman of the Finance Committee, and Councillor, Junior Garrett knew the full extent of the commitments made in the contract.
It is clear that these four officials of the City’s administration, in keeping the details of the contract to themselves in the early stage of the project, have done a serious disservice to the citizens of Georgetown who they have sworn to serve faithfully. This approach to the Council’s and City’s business resulted in opposition in the Georgetown City Council to the behavior of the four. Led by Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan, demands were made on the Town Clerk and Mayor to make the contract available to councilors. It is widely known that this met with resistance from the Mayor and her Town Clerk.
Tacuma Ogunseye
JAGDEO ADDING MORE DANGER TO GUYANA AND THE REGION
Apr 17, 2024
2024 CWI Regional 4-Day Championships Round 7…GHE vs. CCC Kaieteur Sports – After a highly-successful round 6, Guyana Harpy Eagles will look to take full advantage of the out-of-sorts...Kaieteur News – Every school teacher should take a close look at the students in his or her classroom. The probability... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Waterfalls Magazine – On April 10, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]