Dear Norbert,<div><br></div><div>I say hear hear! Spoken as a true pioneer and a brother of the ISOC nobody confrere.</div><div><br></div><div>Daniel<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 10:40 PM, President ISOC-KH <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:president@isoc-kh.org">president@isoc-kh.org</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><u></u>
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<font color="#000000">Dear Ted,<br>
<br>
this is going to be a personal mail - but sent to this public
forum.<br>
<br>
I appreciate that you started to respond personally. But I do not
have the impression that you are addressing some problems at the
level many of us are - not only feel - being affected. <br>
<br>
"There are many legitimate and important issues raised by the
chapters. But they may be overshadowed by the way they are
presented." Two points: 1) I think you write in your own language
- many of us do not have this privilege; please bear with us how
we present what is on our hearts. - 2) I know this argument - I
hear it frequently when we speak about the inequalities of
Internet access, in economic terms asking why it is so expensive
here compared to neighboring countries, or even ask questions
about administrative and legal restrictions, censorship and legal
action against some people under severe duress for raising too
many questions about the uneven application of law. - Probably you
do not face such questions; maybe you did not have to face the
court, or be physically threatened for asking questions, public
communication related questions, as it happened in our context;
but I would be happy to feel free, here, to ask without the
admonition that my questions are "overshadowed by the way they are
presented."<br>
<br>
Where to vent our common concerns if not it this common forum? <br>
<br>
"But while I hope to be the Chapter's best friend and advocate in
the organization, that cannot happen when I and others are put on
the defensive" you wrote. I think I can understand your feelings.
But I am not sure you understand some of ours. It is not about
being "on the defensive" (we are so often, when we struggle to do
our work properly in our context). - We have to present our
arguments and to try to argue it out publicly. Why not be on the
defensive in a jointly shared, committed environment? - we all
defend our positions - and some we have to change. For some it is
more costly than for others.<br>
<br>
"I am looking to the future and cannot redress the perceived
inequity of the past" - why not? I had shared a very practical
question, and some colleagues contacted me in the meantime and
said that this is important also for them. Should I let our Fellow
go to Geneva without medical insurance (which so far I cannot
find, and even if I find it, we probably do not know how to pay).
Or just say: Well, this is a risk the poor have to bear, but not
the rich among us? This is not only a problem for Cambodia - so
sending us a special contribution does not help the many others
that do not have international health insurance. What about you?
You have health insurance, or you just can pay Geneva hospital
rates from your own, if something should happen to you? We never
know.<br>
<br>
"I'm willing to take both personal and professional risks" -
thanks for joining many of us in this. Just a small sideline: Do
you also pay your Internet access fees (it is said that the
Cambodian ones are the highest in this region of the world), and
the costs for driving around town (on the back of a motorcycle
taxi, quite prone to accidents) for ISOC business, from your own
pocket from your salary? Well, I have to do (though I have
difficulty to do paid work since I took over the task of creating
an ISOC chapter here, and I was talked into doing it or a second
year, for "continuity at the start"). <br>
<br>
As I said - my mail will turn out to be somewhat personal - but I
think this is OK, as we are all personally committed to work -
though ISOC - to a better human society where communication is
open for everyone.<br>
<br>
<br>
Norbert</font> Klein<br>
President<br>
ISOC Cambodia Chapter<br>
<br>
</div>
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<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br>Daniel Stern<div>+256 782 115363<br><div>+41 79 3426552</div><div><a href="http://uconnect.org" target="_blank">uconnect.org</a></div><div>MoMoKla.ug</div>
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