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The Gecko
At last, and
for a change, the people have won. They have thwarted Legacy
Holdings Zambia Ltd. and its ‘ambitious’ plans for that precious
spot on the Victoria Falls.
It is really
mind boggling and inconceivable that Legacy should even, in the
first place, have come up with that disastrous plan.
How could the
Holding company propose to construct a hotel and club estate in the
heart of Mosi-oa-Tunya Park with 280 rooms?
What cheek!
A 200 roomed,
luxury 5 star hotel, with a villa golf estate. An 18-hole golf
course with support facilities which would include a clinic, doctors
rooms and other structures for guests, residents and members of
staff.
How did Legacy
hope even to have a craft centre, an international conference centre
and other facilities.
Reader, close
your eyes and imagine. Just imagine all this, was to cover an area
of 220 hectares. The Geckos’ heart bleeds to imagine this.
Picture this:
Mosi-oa-Tunya park is the smallest in the country. Already the park
has problems even accommodating the existing animal population and
with land grabbed away as the Legacy plan suggested, the result
would not only be an environmental disaster but what legacy was
Legacy leaving?
How badly does
Zambia need investment, that it should even entertain ideas like the
one Legacy was dangling.
People power is
what we have to be grateful to. The people spoke and their voices
were heard even at the cost of the foundation stone that had been
laid.
Viva people
power!
Had not the
people risen in unity, Legacy would have gotten away with its
heinous plans that would have resulted in the rape of the land.
Zambians from
now hence must be weary of those who come with plans that appear
seemingly attractive.
Did not Legacy
promise jobs? Oh yes, it promised thousands of them. And such a
promise to a people facing joblessness can be very appealing.
Did not Legacy
promise to boost tourism, enhance the economy and uplift Zambia’s
profile internationally. Oh yes, it did, but at what cost would all
this have been achieved.
Legacy is a
lesson that must never be forgotten and if forgotten, not that
easily.
There are those
among us who are sell-outs, the Judas Iscariots of our times. These
are people (women and men) who would readily sell this country
without a second thought or blink.
What defence
can any Zambian have for supporting the Legacy plans?
Our Chiefs, the
leaders of our people. By virtue of being a chief or a leader, does
not make him any better, smarter or wiser.
Everyone apart
from this select group of people knew that the Legacy proposal was
just a selfish business plan that would have made a few people rich
and left the environment messed up for life.
In as much as
we respect our Chiefs, and thank God we do, they too should respect
the views of their subjects.
Their standing
has gone down, if not here, at least internationally because of the
stand they took on the Legacy issue. They threw all caution to the
wind and embraced these Legacy plans as if they had been possessed
by some spirit.
Oh yes! This is
no laughing matter. The same will be said to all those who supported
Legacy. If they be Zambians, it is even sadder that they were
willing to sell their heritage for a few pieces of silver.
Imagine
suggesting that you want to build the Legacy plan in and around the
megalithic ruin known as Stonehenge in England.
For those who
do not know what Stonehenge is, here is to you some free education
for starters.
Stonehenge is
found near the town of Avebury in Wiltshire, England. Stonehenge is
perhaps the finest of the British megalithic monuments. Stonehenge
stands in the centre of Salisbury Plain, surrounded by a complex of
cemeteries and ritual sites. It is believed to date to about 2780
BC, near the end of the Neolithic period. The function of the
monument is thought to have been spiritual, but the arrangement of
the megaliths also suggests possible astronomical uses, such as a
calendar.
Now imagine a
Zambian, forget his/her standing in society, going to England and
suggesting the Legacy plan. Would the Queen behave the way our
Chief Mukuni did?
Imagine the
outcry from the Brits…
It is sad that
while the international community knew what mess Zambia was going to
land itself in by allowing the Legacy plan to take root, some
Zambians didn’t lose any sleep over it.
UNESCO and
other environmental movements even threatened to launch a damaging
campaign against Zambian tourism, just because they knew the damage
we were going to do to this country.
UNESCO ranks
the Victoria Falls not only as one of the seven wonders of the world
but also as a World Heritage Site.
So it had every
reason to defend Mosi-ao-Tunya park against the selfish interest of
a few.
Zambians must
wake up and be more conscious of the environment. Legacy is just one
lesson.
There will be
investors in all colours who will want to set-up-shop and continue
to set-up-shop in this country. It will cost Zambia and Zambians
nothing to need to know the nature of their business and how
environmental friendly it will be.
Africa’s
environment is not as badly off as the West. Much of Asia is also in
no better state. This must be a pride to Africans, that their
environment is still “intact.”
The decision by
the Environmental Council of Zambia and the final announcement by
the Minister of Tourism to reject the Legacy plan is highly
appreciated by every environmentally conscious person.
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February
2007