VETERAN politician Sikota Wina says the fact that two people were killed over an election angers him.

Meanwhile, Wina says foreign election observers must prove their relevance and provide adequate checks and balances of what is obtaining on the ground.

In an interview, Wina said the level of political violence being experienced could cause voter apathy.

“It is very sad that two people were killed in Kanyama. It is very sad to kill someone because of elections. It is incomprehensible. I cannot believe that murder happened and it just makes me very angry. And the entire country should be angered about violent activities like that. So please, I plead, let us stop this murdering and violence. Let us talk about issues instead of murdering. This type of violence can cause voter apathy. People may sleep at the polling station to avoid being late the following day for elections but they may be scared. So it has got a bad effect on the general morale of the nation. Please, stop this. Let us talk about issues,” he said.

Meanwhile, Wina said foreign election observers needed to prove their relevance.

“It depends on the record these foreign election observers have with this country. In the last elections, we had foreign election observers as well. So those who are complaining against them maybe it is because they did not see anything coming out of the last elections. Maybe they did not see any observations and directions of where the country could go. People expect something out of the foreign observers who we are going to keep here for some time. However, the foreign observers need to tell government and the people what they have found on the ground. I feel there is a lot to be desired from the foreign observers. They do not come here on holiday. They have got to tell the nation what they have observed in an election,” Wina said.

Wina also urged parliamentarians to pull up their socks, arguing that there was little they were doing to improve the lives of Zambians.

“The last time we had general elections was in 2016 and some of these people have been in parliament and some of them occupy public office. However, when people begin complaining it means they are not seeing the results. The people have had five years with the parliamentarians so they know what they are talking about. The most important thing for all of us leaders is to pull our socks up. We need to listen to what the people are saying and let us do the job. You need to do your job as a member of parliament no matter how the facts are. They have to be brought out in the public for the government to act,” said Wina.

“I think some of these leaders are open to divergent views. I have been listening to some of them and they seem to really mean what they say. They are telling the government exactly what is on the ground whether they like it or not. Their job is to tell them the facts and some are doing exactly that. So please let us all try to work as a team and move in one direction. Do not conceal the facts no matter how nasty they may be. But I still think even for these people who go to parliament there is little they are doing to improve the lives of the Zambian people.”