[Chapter-delegates] Bylaws discussion

[President ISOC-KH]

Dear Colleagues,

unfortunately I cannot make it to the public meeting ? it coincides,  
and I could not change the time I am teaching.

But I still would like to share some observation which I consider to be basic:

The present draft starts with describing administrative structures ?  
what I strongly hope for is that the final document will start with a  
description of purpose, and the membership congregating around the  
common purpose, including a clear description of this body ?Internet  
Society? - which has a purpose and a membership.

The membership: The members who shares the common purpose ? from this  
follows how to structure the Bylaws: the members, assembled in  
Chapters, and as a sideline: there are also the institutional members.  
(The present Bylaws draft makes it anyway clear that the  
organizational members do not have any role EXCEPT nominating Board  
members). Crucial are, however the members structured in Chapters.

Also the question of support for new and weak but growing Chapters  
would follow naturally from such an approach: it is a question of  
solidarity among the membership of the world-wide Internet Society  
which helps its growth.

If this basic point of entry were taken, the way how the board and the  
office is formed would follow from the purpose. At present there is ?  
at least the impression or the misunderstanding is possible that FIRST  
there is the Office and the Officers, and the rest is subordinate.

There is another real unbalance in the present layout: while the  
membership-in-chapters received only a fairly brief section of text,  
the present draft ends with long legal regulations about indemnity  
etc. of for persons in the center.

Sorry to be brief and not going into details -  I think the details  
might be quite different if the document would be conceived with the  
purpose and membership as its center.

Norbert Klein
President ? ISOC Cambodia Chapter