"We will push for amendments that allow South African citizens abroad to participate in the 2004 general election in a special overseas vote," Leon told joint meeting of the Royal African and the Royal Commonwealth societies.
He added that in 1994 South Africa made a special effort to enable overseas citizens to vote.
"The ANC (African National Congress), in fact, pushed the government of FW de Klerk to allow an external vote. As a result, hundreds of thousands of South Africans abroad participated in the country's historic first democratic election.
"In 1999, however, the ANC changed its attitude, and refused to allow an external vote. It is sticking to that policy today." Leon said that the British Chamber of Business in South Africa on Tuesday joined "the chorus of those who are encouraging the government to allow its expatriates to participate in the next election".
He added that the South African Business Club in London had noted that many South Africans living in the UK contributed towards South Africa and that it seemed "unnecessarily harsh, unaccommodating and somewhat short-sighted to alienate the support of this grouping".
Assuming, conservatively, that there are at least a million South African citizens living in various countries overseas who might otherwise be eligible to vote, that means that roughly 6% of the electorate is being disenfranchised, a percentage that corresponds to 24 seats out of 400 in Parliament, Leon explained.
"We cannot expect these South Africans to take on extra obligations when we are unwilling to help them exercise their basic political rights.
"The costs of holding an external vote would indeed be high, but they do not prevent other developing and middle-income countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, and Algeria from making provisions for citizens living abroad," Leon added. – Sapa.
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