[ALAC] Rules of Procedure - Draft for discussion at 26 March ALAC meeting

[Olivier MJ Crepin-Leblond]

Dear Avri,

thanks for your kind reply. For a moment, I was agreeing with you that
we should do more to engage ALSes.
And then, I realised we differed in view entirely.

On 27/03/2013 04:37, Avri Doria wrote:
> So I don't charge anyone with marginalisation.  Rather I argue that if we want them to come, we have to make a place for them and we have to let them know.  

Totally agree! I gather that this would mean capacity building, helping
our ALSes understand the issues, accompanying the ALS representatives to
take part in working groups; putting together leadership programmes to
help them go up the ladder of responsibility; preparing them for roles
on the ALAC; helping our ALSes explain the issues to their communities;
enabling and supporting our ALSes to participate at other conferences to
carry the good word of At-Large. etc. Yes! Let's proactively engage our
ALSes!

> I think many of us are comfortable with the status quo we find ourselves in and want to preserve it, fearing that anything we do might break what we have.  It is natural, it is the way people are.  

I'm afraid I disagree. At-Large is evolving and the ALAC too! We are
taking on new roles. The next phase is to strengthen the RALOs and build
them so as to scale them up!


> But if we want to achieve the ICANN leadership that an idea like the At-large deserves, I beleive we have to change our ways. For me, that starts with giving the ALSes respect and among other things giving them a vote. 

RALOs already have votes to select their ALAC members.


> Yes, it is only once every three years, and it may seem more symbolic than practical.  But the symbolism of voting for someone on the Board is important and I beleive would inspire some to pay greater attention and few more serve ICANN as most of you do.

This would send us back to pre-2002. ICANN decided to scrap direct
elections of Board Directors.

In my view, attaching a possibility for direct elections to the Board
could result in exactly the opposite than having ALSes take more part in
At-Large work. It would result in the application of ALSes whose only
interest is the direct Board elections. With very loose criteria for ALS
applications (and I *like* the fact that any organization is allowed to
join if they fit in the criteria), there will likely be a lot of ALSes
that will join only for the elections. So the answer will then be to
tighten the criteria and that will result exactly in the *opposite* than
what we want since it will turn the At-Large community into an elitist
community with high barriers to entry.

I personally consider that any proposal for direct Board elections
effectively disenfranchises the 15 member ALAC, 10 of whom are chosen
directly by the RALOs. It translates to not having the trust in people
the RALOs have selected to act on their behalf. It kills the actual
tiered structure of At-Large and the ALAC and renders it completely
unscaleable. If ALSes are to vote for a Board director directly, why
keep the ALAC at all? Why not let interested ALS representatives run
At-Large in a direct way? Do I need to remind you of the dark, endless
battles of the DNSO? These endless, thoughtless, ego-fuelled, circular
arguments went on for so long that they kept me from wanting to touch
any kind of ICANN responsibility. They prevents At-Large from doing any
kind of meaningful work. As in zero real work. None.

Do you remember this: http://members.icann.org/nominees.html

I remember discussing this recipe for failure with many of my European
colleagues at the time. The whole election ended up being filled with
intrigue, hatred, revenge, bigotry and manipulation. I just can't
believe you see this with rose tinted glasses...

But these are my personal thoughts. As ALAC Chair, I'll go with whatever
the ALAC will choose to do but I hope my colleagues will refuse to
dismantle, brick by brick, the great structure that we have built over
the years.

Kind regards,

Olivier


-- 
Olivier MJ Crépin-Leblond, PhD
http://www.gih.com/ocl.html