FOREST 27-HERE IS WHAT I THINK
I have been relactant to coment on the issue of forest 27 because in the first place I don’t agree with the appetite people had to degazette a forest especially for the sole purpose of constructing of houses.
But this is my thought.
I have objected before the idea of demolishing peoples houses when they could have been stopped from the initial stage if at all an illegality was observed while on the other hand I cannot support an illegality but which illegality should be stopped once its noted.
The question I have always held is why people are so excited to want to demolish a property where one has spent so much money as we are seeing from the structures in forest 27.
The other question is was the procedure to degazette followed and if it was not then I suggest we punish the one who allocated the land and let him or her rot in jail and let him die with the sins of all who have built houses there because you cannot punish those who bought land believing it was legal.
Now if the procedure was followed then leave the issue and treat it as water under the bridge because you cannot undo everything that was done in the past even if you don’t agree with the idea because the law is the law and the requirement is only to satisfy the law when making decisions even though at times morality comes into play when people esp in leadeship makes decisions.
What should then necessitate the degazetting of a forest???
Special circumstances can call for the degazetting of a forest like the compelling need we had a few years ago in Kitwe to ask for the degatteting part of the forest at itimpi.
The reason we pleaded with the then president to degatte the land was a need to construct a specialized hospital whose funds from cooperating partners where available and which hospital would have helped us deal with serious health complications around the region nut alas the construction could not take place because the process delayed but the degazettiion was totally in order and it would also have also allowed the expansion of mukuba university on the other hand and I hope that process has been concluded now because it was in order because of the needs.
As for the forest 27, the construction of houses was not the best reason to call for the degatteting of the forest because that reason alone was selfish but if the procedure was followed then we have to live with it gents.
That’s my take.
BINWELL MPUNDU
NKANA MP