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

[Bryan Tan]

While I agree this turn of events is tragic, I would not be quick to point
fingers.
In Singapore, we encounter the same set of ISOC staff and have found them
to be helpful and supportive. Sure, there are times when we do not get
things our way but the aim is for the betterment of the community, not our
individual wants.

I have also just come back from Bali and interacted with over 35 ISOC
fellows and chapter representatives and none had anything bad to say about
ISOC staff.

As someone pointed out, in this week where Cambodia dissolves, two new
chapters have applied for admission - it can't be all that bad.


On Tue, Nov 5, 2013 at 11:12 AM, David Solomonoff <president at isoc-ny.org>wrote:

>  This is tragic - both for Cambodia's netizens (past, present and future)
> and for ISOC.
>
> It will have long-term negative consequences for the global organization
> in ways that are hard to anticipate. But first and foremost will be the
> temptation for other Chapters to dissolve or dissociate whenever there is
> disagreement.
>
> If other Chapters follow a similar path, the credibility - and even the
> viability - of ISOC will be severely damaged.
>
> The ISOC staff who allowed this to happen have made a grievous error.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> David
>
> On 11/03/2013 09:26 PM, 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 KleinPresident, 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 -------- *
>
>
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> *Subject: Re: [Chapter-delegates] Fwd: Renewal Internet Society Chapter
> CharterDate: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 15:44:09 +0200From: Klaus Birkenbihl<Klaus.Birkenbihl at Isoc.de> <Klaus.Birkenbihl at Isoc.de>Organization: Internet Society German Chapter
> e.V. (ISOC.DE <http://ISOC.DE> <http://ISOC.DE>)To: chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org<chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org> <chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org> <chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org<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 allow**s*
>
>
>
> * 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:
>
>
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> *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 bestOusmaneNiger 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.
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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
>
>
>
> --
> David Solomonoff, President
> Internet Society of New Yorkpresident at isoc-ny.orgisoc-ny.org
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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
>
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