[Chapter-delegates] Announcement about the dissolution of ISOC-KH

[Elver Loho]

On 5 November 2013 00:11, Veni Markovski <veni at veni.com> wrote:
>
> This is extremely bad news. I am so sorry to hear it, and to read also you
> didn't get adequate support from ISOC HQ. This is, I believe, the first
> time, when a chapter seizes to exist in such a way.

And it won't be the last.

Elver

>
> Veni :-(
>
>
>
> On 11/03/13 21:26, Chantra Be wrote:
>
> Dear All,
>
> On 26 October 2013, a meeting was held according to Article XII of the
> Bylaws of the Cambodian Chapter of the Internet Society:
>
> Article XII. - Dissolution of the Chapter
>
> 1.  Dissolution of this Chapter by consent of the members shall consist of
> unanimous agreement of all its officers together with a majority vote at a
> meeting which has been publicized in advance to all members of the Chapter
> for the purpose of taking this vote.
>
> 2.  Should this Chapter be dissolved, its assets shall be transferred to
> ISOC International Headquarters.
>
>
> The meeting had been called on 23 September 2013, stating:
>
>
> “It is to propose – unless real and practical alternatives are identified
> within the following month – to call a meeting of all members of our Chapter
> for the purpose of taking a vote to dissolve the ISOC Cambodia Chapter.”
>
>
> The meeting decided to dissolve the ISOC Cambodia Chapter; this decision
> becomes effective after the present Announcement will have been sent out:
>
> - to all members of the ISOC Cambodia Chapter
> - to the Chapter Delegates list of ISOC
> - to the Chairperson of the Board of ISOC
> - to the ISOC Senior Director, Membership & Services (You had written: “If
> the Cambodian Chapter wishes to rescind its ISOC chapter status, a letter so
> stating to the APAC Chapter Development manager is sufficient” - would you
> please forward it there – or also to other persons in ISOC beyond the APAC
> office who might want to know.)
>
>
> This decision was taken drawing together the conclusions of the
> correspondence with ISOC staff and ISOC Chapter leaders: we appreciate very
> much the many encouraging comments from other Chapters, and we regret that
> the expected correspondence from ISOC staff – regional and central – was
> late, or not forthcoming at all, and not proposing real and practical steps
> ahead.
>
>
> The following is to be more specific:
>
> In response to the “Interim Information: Serious considerations to dissolve
> the Cambodia ISOC Chapter” which we had sent to you and to ISOC Chapter
> leaders and ISOC staff on 16 Oct 2013, we received the following response
> from Ted Mooney - ISOC Senior Director, Membership & Services – on 18
> October 2013, under the Subject line “Communication and moving forward with
> the ISOC Cambodia Chapter.”
>
> I quote the mail from Ted Mooney here in Italics, to distinguish it from
> comments from other Chapter leaders and from our own side.
>
> Dear Chantra Be,
>
> I've followed with great interest the responses from Norbert Klein on the
> Chapter Delegates e-list.  I want you to know that I and many of us at ISOC
> have thoroughly read your original email more than once and the subsequent
> messages from Mr. Klein. I have researched the claims made regarding the
> correspondences between ISOC Staff and the Cambodian Chapter and the
> outreach attempts made on both sides.  It is evident that Staff has a
> different interpretation of the data than has the Chapter.  It is, in my
> opinion therefore, not constructive to dwell on the past but to address the
> issues raised in your message, once again.
>
> Ted Mooney refers again to outreach attempts supposedly made by ISOC staff.
>
> This is not the first time such claims are made, and therefore we had
> responded:
>
> - We do not know “what has been communicated to” the ISOC Senior Director,
> Membership & Services in this respect – but the situation continues: neither
> the Singapore based ISOC ASIA PACIFIC staff, nor the ISOC  Chapter
> Development Manager, Asia-Pacific, nor the  ISOC Senior Director, Membership
> & Services have responded to the detailed content in the mail from our
> Secretary...
> - But if such mail was sent and we did not receive it for whatever reason –
> it would be appropriate to share it here on the Chapters list.
>
>
> Instead of using this opportunity to provide copies of such mail, we
> received again just the same baseless claims.
>
>
> More serious is that he says “It is, in my opinion therefore, not
> constructive to dwell on the past.” - He had criticized our sharing of
> concerns about the non-responsiveness of ISOC staff with other Chapters and
> the Chairperson of the ISOC Board to be unprofessional. He is continuing to
> refuse to deal with serious problems. I repeat again our mail which related
> to one of the two staff at the Asia Pacific Regional Office:
>
> = = =
>
> “ Dear Thip,
> After having received your mail, rejecting our request to serious discuss
> the crisis for our Chapter, created as a result of the general situation and
> legal requirements in Cambodia in the meeting, and the refusal to ISOC staff
> to positively pay attention to our situation, we do not think it would be
> appropriate to cooperate, as a Chapter, with organizing a meeting for your 1
> - 2.5 hours event, for which you would like to invite the Members of the
> Cambodia Chapter and other non-Chapter members. To discuss fundamental
> problems within ISOC, affecting the whole membership, only among officers,
> as you suggest (which has been tried in vain by email so far) would not be
> in line with our history to promote and practice open communication – high
> values regularly lifted up among the goals of the Internet Society world
> wide and in its slogan: the Internet is for everyone.
>
> The situation and this response has been shared and discussed with the
> Members of the Advisory Board of our Chapter and is unanimously supported.
>
> Norbert Klein
> President, ISOC-KH
>
>     The five members of our Advisory Board at that time were (reflecting the
> stipulation of our Bylaws “The Advisory Board of five members, from
> important sections of the ISOC Cambodia Chapter membership”):
>
>          - the Head of the IT in Education Section in the Ministry of
> Education
>          - the Editor in Chief of a leading Cambodian daily newspaper, who
> is at the same time President of  the Club of Cambodian Journalists
>          - the President and CEO of a major broadband providing ISP
>          - a senior staff member in the office of the Council of Ministers
> of the Government of Cambodia, and
>          - one student.
>
> = = =
>
> We do not have much confidence in regional and central staff of ISOC that
> has damaged the formerly good name of ISOC in Cambodian society, and no word
> is seen from them to apologize publicly or to rectify this – but instead it
> is considered that we are unprofessional to raise such unsolved problems. We
> do not think it is acceptable that ISOC staff visits a country, refuses to
> discuss the problems identified as important by a Chapter, holds her own
> meeting to which she invited some people who said they did not know an hour
> ago that ISOC exists – and she encourages them to become members and run for
> leadership in the elections one month later. And senior staff of ISOC just
> keeps silent.
>
> The Documentation Center of Cambodia - www.dccam.org – has in every mail
> originating from them the sentence:
>
> “...a society cannot know itself if it does not have an accurate memory of
> its own history.”
>
> The Internet Society would do well to consider this also for itself, on its
> way into a better future.
>
>
> Ted Mooney continues:
>
> 1. Chapter by-laws. From various correspondences and information sent to the
> Cambodia Chapter, including examples of by-laws from other chapters and
> stated flexibility to address the local needs dating back to 2011, I would
> like to re-iterate the flexibility of the Chapter By-laws template to assure
> that agreed Chapter By-laws account for all local laws and special
> circumstances with respect to jurisdiction, foreign affiliation and
> governance.
>
> What he calls flexibility seems more to be a situation of confusion in ISOC
> operations. It is obvious from the correspondence on the Chapters list -
> that not all Chapters have been made to accept what is now in our Bylaws –
> but these problematic elements continue to be on the ISOC website as
> “mandatory” elements. And while he informs us that we are free to flexibly
> apply the Chapters Bylaws template, at the same time “Renewal Chapter
> Charter letters” are going out to be signed and returned by 15 December
> 2013, including “chapter minimum standards” stating that if a Chapter does
> not meet "one or more" a process of “rejuvenation” will be initiated.
>
> One Chapter chair commented: “Somehow I miss all these in the ISOC by-laws,
> but may be someone can enlighten us?”
>
> There is obviously no clarity and broad agreement with Chapters at present
> about the content and role of Chapter Bylaws, as some of the Chapter
> Delegates mails show – with reference to a lot of time spent for nothing in
> the past (highlighting added in our quoting):
>
> -------- Original Message --------
>
> Subject: Re: [Chapter-delegates] Fwd: Renewal Internet Society Chapter
> Charter
> Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 15:44:09 +0200
> From: Klaus Birkenbihl <Klaus.Birkenbihl at Isoc.de>
> Organization: Internet Society German Chapter e.V. (ISOC.DE)
> To: chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org <chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org>
>
>
> ...I also don't foresee much change in practice if we sign the letter.
> Nevertheless it is the wrong thing at the wrong time. During the last years
> when chapters became more visible and active we discussed so many beautiful
> things that could give support and help to be more effective. E.g. Issue
> Trackers to identify issues and track their resolution, Wikis to support
> collaboration and many other things the Internet holds that other groups use
> to do better work. So next thing we expected to see was some progress here.
>
> But instead of picking up e.g. the prototype that was provided by Elena, we
> still lack reporting facilities for projects and problems, collaboration
> tools, we stick to the old work-intensive AMS to exchange our member data …
> But what we get is another version of the Letter of Affiliation.
>
> Please keep in mind: it is effort, money and time that is provided by
> chapters members that is used to do the work.
>
> Financial support by ISOC is rather marginal. (Did you e.g ever manage to
> organize an event for $2000? For our last event even the fee for the room
> was higher.) Knowing that ISOC lacks the budget to pay them, chapters -
> though complaining once and a while - continue to work on this base.
>
> The Letter of Association says ISOC wants you to perform such and such,
> wants to define a maximum number of terms for office holders [is this really
> a mission related concern?], and you need ["we believe in numbers"] to have
> that many individual members, [can it be summed-up with corporations? - AMS
> still don't let me report corporate members] and so forth. Read this while
> keeping in mind that its chapters time, chapters money, chapters effort.
> Doesn't it annoy you?
>
> I don't say we should be against the Letters of Association but given the
> situation as it is - they should be the result of negotiations and not a
> headquarters dictatorship.
>
> Maybe the newly to be created Chapters Advisory would be the group to
> develop a template that fulfills 2 criteria:
>
>   - it is balanced in terms of responsibility and control, benefit and
> achievements
>   - it allows to be adjusted to needs of individual chapters (e.g. those
> with a commercial branch, or with corporate members, or with a special focus
> like accessibility ...)
>
> Such Letter of Association could have a real effect.
>
> Klaus
>
> =
>
> 2. The Chapter Administrative Support Working Group is now meeting regularly
> to discuss various ways to address Chapter issues regarding operational
> resources. As you have noted from the discussion in this email forum, there
> is a wide disparity of views and therefore, multiple solutions may be
> piloted.
>
> It is regrettable that this has not come together as quickly as the Cambodia
> Chapter has needed, so we hope that you will reconsider your voluntary
> de-chartering until there are more widely available support options for you
> to evaluate. Please do keep in mind that local self-sufficiency will always
> be a key component of any operations resource strategy.
>
> While local self-sufficiency is a broadly understandable principle, the way
> this issue has been treated so far seems to have seen this as a financial
> affair. We have not seen response to the much more complex situation, where
> many people in Cambodia have, over the years and again recently, been
> self-sufficient in providing their energy, their health, their freedom, and
> in some cases their lives in the struggle for justice and in the struggle to
> be free to communicate about it. A lot of public support, legal assistance,
> and care for victims, is however not based on local finances, but is
> provided by organizations and institutions extending external solidarity
> funding support.
>
> We have shared information that communication technology and information
> networks are fairly well developed in Cambodia and there are working groups,
> regular activities, IXPs, organized structures, Barcamps (the most recent
> one a week ago with more than 2000 participants) – quite a number of the
> ISOC Cambodia Chapter members provided leadership in these fields. Our
> inquiry if ISOC could financially assist in setting up and initially
> operating an office was clearly related to the specific government
> regulations (following the ISOC staff guided Bylaw: “The Chapter shall be
> established as a non-profit organization under the laws of Cambodia”).
>
> If ISOC staff considers financial “local self-sufficiency [...] always be a
> key component of any operations resource strategy” we are out for the time
> being.
>
> One comment on the Chapter list had said there is no need for us to defend
> ourselves – ISOC staff may have to defend themselves instead. We leave this
> open – but if anybody is interested in our context, you may find some more
> information about local contributions at the Annex at the end of our
> Documentation to be sent out separately. This material – voices from the
> Chapters - may be of value for the work following a recent ISOC Board
> decision that “acknowledged the right of Chapters to form an advisory
> group.”
>
> 3. We once again call upon the Cambodia Chapter to a) participate with ISOC
> staff in a conference call to speak forthrightly about the issues you raise,
> b) participate in the regularly scheduled Asia Chapter Webex calls in which
> most other Asia chapters are now participating.  Regarding, a) above, we
> have noted your concern that many Cambodia Chapter officers cannot attend a
> call at one time for work-related and other obligations.  We are very
> willing to have multiple calls to accommodate various schedules and to be
> held at times that allow as many officers to attend as possible.
>
> We did not participate lately in such conference calls or webinars as our
> experience over the years is that such talks did not lead to much results.
> Especially multiple sessions on the same subject ended up with open
> questions: What was really discussed or decided? Email exchanges leave much
> clearer records.
>
> On another note, there is currently a Chapter workshop in Bali ahead of the
> IGF. I hope the Cambodian representative will take the opportunity to speak
> to Naveed ul Haq, Chapter Development Manager for Asia, Joyce Dogniez
> Director of Chapter Development and Raj Singh our Regional Bureau Director.
> Such a conversation presents an additional opportunity to resolve timing
> conflicts and help us all get to a resolution of the issues.
>
> Ted Mooney added:
>
> “This is unfortunate as there is a travel fellowship available for the each
> Asia Chapter to attend in which expenses are covered. My assumption was that
> surely you would take advantage of such funding from ISOC particularly when
> your representative would have a forum with ISOC executives in which to
> discuss your specific issue. Why did you chose not to attend?”
>
> The fact that intensive communication on the Chapter list, with several
> calls from various Chapter leaders calling on ISOC staff – central and
> regional – to respond to the contents of our mail did not result in such
> responses, was not an indication that to meet in Bali would provide the
> practical and timely responses we were hoping for. We did not want to ask
> for such international travel support for one person to talk to ISOC staff
> traveling to Bali to talk about things for which the 90 ISOC staff and
> advisors could not organize written responses in the months and weeks
> before.
>
> And finally, Ted Mooney said:
>
> “Also, I think we needn't burden Chapter Delegates with a lengthy and
> hopefully fruitful conversation between us in email. I will no longer be
> posting my responses to you to the entire list.”
>
> Here the ISOC Senior Director, Membership & Services, is obviously not in
> line with the many Chapter leaders who were interested and did actively
> participate in the related discussions on the Chapters list. As Ousmane
> MOUSSA TESSA from the Niger Chapter wrote:
>
>
> Hi all,
> +1 Veni! [Bulgaria]
>
> In my previous mail I tried to share a quiet simple idea of the
> "ecosystem" of ISOC. Veni summarized what this ecosystem must be. I'm just
> thinking it just a global decentralized process, as Chapters don't be
> considered as "subsidiaries" of company with an HQ and Board of Trustees!
>
> BTW, I agree 200% with Veni about the fact, and keeping in mind that "the
> strength of a chain is based on the quality of its weakest link".
> Hence, let's support each other to move steadily and forward a visible
> thread, so even the newcomers can jump easy in one the various wagons of
> ISOC.
>
> Keep on talking, talking again, in the only aim to ... to sharpen our
> current and future actions and overcome inherent difficulties of our Global
> "institution".
>
> All the best
>
> Ousmane
> Niger Chapter
>
> We continue to share our communication.
>
>
> We are committed to the “basic values” for which many persons around the
> world became members of the ISOC – and it is our assumption that many of our
> present Chapter members may want to continue to be members of ISOC, for
> which they had to sign up before being able to become members of a chapter.
>
> Probably there will also be an informal fellowship of “Friends of the
> Internet in Cambodia” - and there may be interest in the future to see how
> the recent decisions of the ISOC Board that affirmed the role of chapters in
> the governance and mission of the Internet Society will work out, especially
> when a Chapters Advisory Group will have done its work and hopefully the
> clarification of the role and relation of staff and chapters may lead to a
> new start of ISOC.
>
>
> Be Chantra
>
> chantra.be at gmail.com
>
> (still) Secretary of the ISOC Cambodia Chapter
>
> until this announcement is sent out.
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> Chapter Portal (AMS): https://portal.isoc.org
>
>
> --
>
> Best,
> Veni Markovski
> http://www.veni.com
> https://www.facebook.com/venimarkovski
> https://twitter.com/veni
>
> The opinions expressed above are those of the
> author, not of any organizations, associated
> with or related to him in any given way.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> As an Internet Society Chapter Officer you are automatically subscribed
> to this list, which is regularly synchronized with the Internet Society
> Chapter Portal (AMS): https://portal.isoc.org