Speedwell Mupuchi
24 July 2003
Lusaka — THERE was no wide consultation in the proposed lease of the Sioma Ngwezi and Liuwa national parks, Nalikwanda UPND member of parliament Simasiku Kalumiana has said.
Reacting to Vice-President Mumba's statement last weekend that the Litunga had consulted widely over the issue of leasing the Sioma Ngwezi and Liuwa national parks, Kalumiana advised him to talk less and listen more.
He said it was not true that the Litunga consulted widely because people were just being informed about the decision and merely asked to support it.
"The Vice-President should not mislead people by portraying a picture that there was consensus on the proposed leasing of the national parks," Kalumiana said.
He also said it was not correct for Vice-President Mumba to bring the Litunga's name into the discussion because their tradition forbids that. Vice-President Mumba last weekend in Mongu said the Litunga consulted widely on the lease of the parks.
Speaking after holding private talks with the Litunga, Vice-President Mumba said those who accused the Barotse Royal Establishment of not involving stakeholders in the lease of Liuwa and Sioma-Ngwezi were selfish politicians.
He said the bad talk was work of selfish politicians because the Litunga consulted people widely. Vice-President Mumba said Western Province was in desperate need of investment.
But Kalumiana said politicians from the province were not selfish as Vice-President Mumba implied but that they were being patriotic and wanted to ensure their national heritage was safeguarded and not just given away. "I personally want to see him (Vice-President Mumba) talk less and concentrate on issues of civil servants wanting housing allowances, the budget overrun, the growing number of street kids, unemployment and corruption," Kalumiana said.
"I want to see Nevers become the greatest Vice-President and one of the requirement is that he must learn to listen." He said Barotse people and members of parliament's bone of contention was not that they did not want development in Western Province but were worried about the process and procedure which left the people out.
He said consultations should have started with the grassroot and that the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) were supposed to be in the forefront in awareness creation.
He said ZAWA as an organisation responsible for national parks should explain to the people and not act as agents of African Safaris. He said if Vice-President Mumba wanted to test the people's emotions on the issue, he should have allowed police officers to let them attend the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) planned discussion instead of cancelling it last week.
He said all the people from the province wanted was for the process to be as transparent as possible and have the ordinary Lozis input instead of bulldozing the issue. Kalumiana demanded that all documentation relating to the lease of the national parks be made public so that members of public could have access and make informed decisions.
He said three days ago, Lozis were called to a meeting at Limulunga where they were just told to support the leasing of the national parks a development he said did not mean consultation.
He said there were community resource boards in the national parks interested in managing their affairs and that if government was interested in empowering local Zambians, they would not have leased the national parks to African Safaris of South Africa.
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