By Oliver Chisenga
WILLIAM Harrington says the fate of the forest reserve number 27 and the thousands of people who depend on it for livelihood now lies squarely in the hands of President Hakainde Hichilema.
He says President Hichilema is the only one with constitutional and executive powers to regazette the forest in the public and national interest.
In a statement to The Mast, Harrington said he believes President Hichilema should find no difficulty in honoring the UPND 2021
election campaign promise and act affirmatively to regazette FR 27 in public interest.
“The ball is entirely in President Hichilema’s court. A wrong impression has somewhat been created in certain media that lands and natural resources minister Elijah Muchima has powers to regazette FR27 when in fact he does not have such powers,” Harrington, a former environment minister, said.
“Regazettion or degazettion of any forest is above the mandate of a minister and the only role he or she can play is in an advisory capacity.”
He recalled that President Hichilema has been petitioned by the Chalimbana River Headwaters Conservation Trust on behalf of the affected community to regazette Forest Reserve 27 so that the area retains its status as a protected forest and water source.
“President Hichilema is yet to act on the petition. A landmark precedent happened when 2nd Republican president Dr Frederick Chiluba ordered the Attorney General to prepare Statutory Instrument No.161 of 1994 which he gladly signed to regazette FR27 following a petition from about three thousand local community members.
President Hakainde Hichilema may wish to emulate the precedent set by Dr Chiluba who was very passionate about environmental protection,” Harrington said.
“It is noted with great concern that lands and natural resources minister Elijah Muchima continues to procrastinate by deciding to appoint a costly so-called ‘technical committee’ to investigate and advise him on the matter of FR27 and yet on the other hand admitting that his ministry is unable to meet the cost involved due to lack of funds. He further states that the work of the committee is dependent on financial support from some named organisations and that therefore, the exercise may take about six months to commence.”
He said Muchima does not state the terms of reference for his proposed technical committee but insisted that the exercise was purely an internal matter for his ministry.
“It only has value insofar as it may investigate if there was any procedural impropriety and corruption in the allocation of plots. It has nothing to do with the immoral and unconstitutional degazettion of FR27 by former Republican president Edgar Chagwa Lungu prior to the August 12, 2021 elections, an action which now threatens the health, wellbeing and lives of thousands of Lusaka, Chongwe and Chalimbana
residents,” Harrington said.
He noted that in the meantime, Muchima has chosen to turn a blind eye to the ongoing construction works in total disregard of the “order” he made soon after the August 12 elections that all construction be halted.
Harrington said considering the state of affairs, he challenged Muchima to tell the nation whether or not the order has since been lifted.