Re: [ga] Results from the NCtelecon October 5th, 1999

[Michael Sondow <msondow@iciiu.org>]

Joop Teernstra wrote:
> 
> At 09:59 PM 20/10/1999 +0200, DNSO Listadmin wrote:
> 
> >   * Election of GA Chair, information from Joe Sims
> >
> >     There is a general misunderstunding about the GA role.
> >
> A misunderstanding or a general and fundamental difference of opinion?

A difference of opinion, obviously. The GA, being made up of people
from the general Internet community, believes that the DNSO will be
a popularly-run organization, as was agreed upon in Singapore, and
not a top-down dictatorship by the NC. The NC, being the
self-appointed representatives of constituencies that they
themselves formed, and therefore whose appointments they controlled,
will of course betray the spirit of compromise from Singapore and,
with the support of the ICANN Board (always there to throw its
weight on the side of top-down, vertical authoritarianism), take
away from the GA whatever little power it still has. 

> >     Action: NC initiate a discussion about the GA structure as well as
> >     about relations between different components of the DNSO. From October
> >     16th, after elections to the ICANN Board, the NC will initiate the call
> >     for nominations for permanent GA Chair. To be elected in LA.
> >
> >     Action: NC initiate a discussion about concensus. There is a necessity
> >     to have more understanding abount consensus. The Chair of GA should not
> >     interpret consensus like in Santiago meetings.
> 
> Should not?  Would this mean that motions in the GA can no longer result in
> resolutions?

What it means is that the Board is worried because they have
consistently used the word "consensus" to defend their unilateral
actions, and they see in the GA a body that can show up their lies.
Therefore, they are going to appoint a chair for the GA that will
never use the word "consensus" when referring to the consensus of
the GA, so that the NC and the Board will not have to be embarrassed
about their non-consensual actions.

> The coordination between
> >     the NC and GA is needed.
> >
> How are we to understand this? Will the future GA chair have to act under
> instructions from the Names Council?

Well, they will be appointing someone to the chairmanship whom they
can control, who is one of them. There won't be any controversies
between the GA chair and the NC. And the GA will be run according to
the desires of the NC. It will be a front, just like it has been in
the recent elections, where the choices of the GA were ignored. The
DNSO is in its last stages of gerrymandering. In future, all
decisions of the DNSO will be made by the NC, that is, by the Board.

> These are sincere questions that await clarification from Names Council
> members.

The answers are obvious. ICANN is an authoritarian organization, and
all its structures, including the DNSO, will be run from the top
down.

============================================================
Michael Sondow           I.C.I.I.U.     http://www.iciiu.org
Tel. (718)846-7482                        Fax: (603)754-8927
============================================================