[Chapter-delegates] An invitation to the Webinar re. LoA/Dashboard and New Tools available

[President ISOC-KH]

Hi Jacek,

I have now signed in to be available at one of the two Doodle time slots 
– but I did so with some reluctance.

According to my mailbox of outgoing mail, I had responded on Wednesday, 
29 February 2012, quite in detail – and some of my concerns were similar 
to what some others on our Chapter List expressed. I do not want to 
repeat most of what I already wrote – except the point that I find it 
difficult to respond under time pressure with the brief time line 
offered, and I do not see why we should engage in such an important 
issue suddenly. You say: “The LoA has been in development since 2010 and 
many individuals in the Chapters have participated in its evolution.” I 
am sorry that I obviously missed it when this was discussed on our 
common platform, the Chapter-Delegates list.

You also requested: “LoA (see attachment) note that at this stage we 
share it only with you, so you are kindly requested not to forward it 
further until we have heard and incorporated your feedback.” We live and 
work in a fairly top-down traditionally autocratic environment – but in 
our ISOC chapter we try very consciously to practice a different style 
of communication and cooperation. For me not to share a draft on 
fundamental questions is contrary to what we stand for.

You say also:

“Your feedback is especially important prior to translation, 
Specifically we would like to know if the content make sense to you, if 
anything is missing and if the language is easy to understand...”

This wording does not seem to reflect at all some of the basic questions 
which had been raised: What is this whole exercise about – especially in 
view of the surprising wording about the relationship between “ISOC 
Global” (what is it?) that is entering into contracts with the chapters. 
Before dealing with the wording for translations, this basic question 
needs to be clarified. Did we already agree – or even discuss – that 
there will be “a more public launch”? Your moving up the timing from 12 
and 16 March now to 6 and 8 March shows a haste which I do not 
understand – as others also had proposed to have an online chat maybe 
much later, only after having had enough time to discuss the issues 
involved on the Chapters-Delegates list.

During the recent communications on this list, you mentioned also 
something about a change of the Bylaws. The draft Letter of Affiliation 
touches on a number of issues regulated in the Bylaws, and where a 
chapter is a legal entity in the countries where they are established 
under the law of the country (that is what the ISOC Bylaws daft had 
suggested, which is the basis on which we started to operate), any 
changes proposed may require quite complicated legal re-arrangements 
locally. I am surprised that the issue of Bylaw changes was mentioned 
only casually.

Finally, I would like to remind us all of the mail from Christopher 
Wilkinson which he wrote as Chair of the European Chapters Coordinating 
Council, date stamped in my inbox on 29 February 2012. I kindly request 
that the serious items listed up there should be re-read, as they need 
to get a clarifying response before a webinar, as planned – again 
upsetting many schedules - at extremely short notice - is actually held.

With my best greetings,

Norbert Klein, President, ISOC Cambodia Chapter