[ga] At Large : Self-organising or "top down" management?

["Richard Henderson" <richardhenderson@ntlworld.com>]

Thank you, Jim, for the link you have provided below, from ALAC chair
Vittorio Bertola to Bruce Tonkin.

I quote from it:

"Underpinning the ALAC will be a network of self-organizing, self-supporting
At-Large Structures throughout the world involving individual Internet users
at the local or issue level. The At-Large Structures (either existing
organizations or newly formed for this purpose) will self-organize into five
Regional At-Large Organizations (one in each ICANN region - Africa,
Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America/Caribbean, and North America). The
Regional At-Large Organizations will manage outreach and public involvement
and will be the main forum and coordination point in each region for public
input to ICANN."

Will the "self-organizing, self-supporting structures" be run by democratic
consent? Will all participants have a right to vote individually on their
RALO's policies, actions and decisions?

If not, then are the RALOs in reality a representation of internet users?
How can internet users be sure that these 'appointed' organisations will
represent their real views and desires?

Are the RALOs in reality a replacement for the democratic election of user
representatives to the ICANN Board? In short, has democracy and *true*
representation been replaced by an invented process which sets out to
distance the Board from the democratic voice and criticisms of the millions
and millions of ordinary internet users?

Is a "top-down" At Large structure, imposed by ICANN, acceptable to defend
user rights and interests?

What election has taken place - anywhere - to demonstrate that the interests
of internet users are represented by the nominees who inhabit this imposed
ICANN structure?

My friends, this is just the Board "at it" again.

In the only genuine poll taken on the At Large structure and the RALOs to
date (through the Icannatlarge organisation) 90% of voters said they did not
trust the ICANN structure, and a big majority wanted an At Large structure
to be developed, not inside ICANN where it was effectively captured, but
outside ICANN with local, national, and regional organisations developed
independent of ICANN, and developed upon the principles of a clear
democratic process.

As I have said before, the RALOs and the whole powerless At Large structure
(which was not asked for) are a means of trying to legitimise those 'reform'
processes which decided to EXPEL the elected representatives of internet
users from the Board. Instead, the At Large is being "contained" within a
mechanism that offers internet users no democracy, no power, and in fact,
just endless process.

Process which the Board can ignore at will.

Richard Henderson

----- Original Message -----
From: Jim Fleming <JimFleming@ameritech.net>
To: <richardhenderson@ntlworld.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 23, 2003 2:06 PM
Subject: Fw: http://www.dnso.org/clubpublic/council/Arc12/msg00086.html

> > http://www.dnso.org/clubpublic/council/Arc12/msg00086.html
> >


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