<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">I agree with Boubakar here. I think that granting associate membership voting rights is an invitation to organizational capture.<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Consider the relatively low voting participation as it stands (IIRC, the last time I was involved in counting an AfriNIC election,</div><div class="">there were fewer than 200 total votes (possibly less than 100)).</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Consider that $300/year gets an individual an associate membership in AfriNIC. Even if we assume a 1 year delay to voting,</div><div class="">then 200 * 2 * 300 = $120,000. If a company really wanted to seize control of an AfriNIC election, I do not think that it would</div><div class="">beard to come up with $120,000 and 200 individuals willing to vote accordingly.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">I think limiting voting to those that hold internet number resources makes sense because they are the</div><div class="">true stakeholders in the services provided by the organization.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Owen</div><div class=""><br class=""><div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Sep 18, 2016, at 2:44 PM, Boubakar Barry <<a href="mailto:Boubakar.Barry@wacren.net" class="">Boubakar.Barry@wacren.net</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class=""><div class="gmail_extra"><div class="gmail_quote"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">On Sun, Sep 18, 2016 at 9:05 PM, Jackson Muthili<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span dir="ltr" class=""><<a href="mailto:jacksonmuthi@gmail.com" target="_blank" class="">jacksonmuthi@gmail.com</a>></span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>wrote:<br class=""><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><span class="">On Sun, Sep 18, 2016 at 12:40 PM, Douglas Onyango <<a href="mailto:ondouglas@gmail.com" class="">ondouglas@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br class="">> Hi Alan,<br class="">> Thanks for sharing this document. It will form a solid basis for continued<br class="">> deliberation on amendments of the bylaws.<br class="">><br class="">> Regarding #1, specifically the Associate Members' right to (or not) vote, I<br class="">> was, and still I am opposed to the idea of rescinding the Associate Members<br class="">> rights to vote.<br class="">><br class="">> Rationale: when an Associate Member is stripped of the right to vote,<br class="">> he/she is in reality as empowered -- or un-empowered -- as the rest of the<br class="">> AFRINIC community. AFRINIC would effectively be asking Associate members and<br class="">> prospects to fork out Associate Membership fees, but offering nothing over<br class="">> and above "AFRINIC community" status, which poses at least two problems:<br class="">> First, NO ONE of sound mind, with full understanding of these facts, would<br class="">> want to be an Associate members, and secondly, AFRINIC would be out-rightly<br class="">> fleecing its members by charging membership fees and providing no value in<br class="">> return, neither one of which is desirable.<br class="">><br class="">> Therefore, the Associate Membership category should be imbued with voting<br class="">> rights -- or some other value add that is codified in the bylaws, barring<br class="">> which the category should effectively be expunged from the bylaws.<br class=""><br class=""></span>+1<br class=""><br class="">If any tier is named "member", such as "associate member"; such tier<br class="">MUST be given voting rights. Absent of this - it would be a useless<br class="">membership status. Why be a member of an establishment that cannot let<br class="">one exercise a simple right like a vote to enable effect change?<br class=""><br class="">Let associate members vote or get rid of this membership tier. Simple.<br class=""><div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5"><br class=""></div></div></blockquote><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Not sure it's as simple as that.<br class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Do we want to encourage people/organisations to be be associate members just because of granted voting rights that have the potential of affecting resource members only?<br class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">I know of organisations in which members are happy to be non-voting associate members because it gives them opportunities to contribute financially to the sustainability of these organisations, without benefiting from core services. Just because they share values of these organisations and want to support them.<br class=""><br class="">We can of course think of advantages we can give to associate members to acknowledge their commitment and support. But I would not support giving voting rights to associate members. I would rather be for removing this membership category instead.<br class=""><br class="">B.<br class=""> <br class=""></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5"><br class=""><br class="">><br class="">><br class="">> Regards,<br class="">><br class="">> On 16 September 2016 at 17:17, Alan Barrett <<a href="mailto:alan.barrett@afrinic.net" class="">alan.barrett@afrinic.net</a>><br class="">> wrote:<br class="">>><br class="">>> On 10 June, I posted a document describing potential areas for improvement<br class="">>> in the Bylaws as a result of an accountability assessment. I invited the<br class="">>> community and membership to comment on these issues.<br class="">>><br class="">>> I have considered the discussion, and I have asked the legal adviser to<br class="">>> draft appropriate changes to the bylaws. In some cases, I have edited the<br class="">>> legal adviser’s text. In some cases, more drafting work is needed and<br class="">>> proposed text of bylaws changes is not yet available.<br class="">>><br class="">>> I attach a document with the proposed bylaws changes.<br class="">>><br class="">>> Alan Barrett<br class="">>> CEO, AFRINIC<br class="">>><br class="">>><br class="">>><br class="">>><br class="">>><br class="">>> ______________________________<wbr class="">_________________<br class="">>> Community-Discuss mailing list<br class="">>><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="mailto:Community-Discuss@afrinic.net" class="">Community-Discuss@afrinic.net</a><br class="">>><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/community-discuss" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" class="">https://lists.afrinic.net/<wbr class="">mailman/listinfo/community-<wbr class="">discuss</a><br class="">>><br class="">><br class="">><br class="">><br class="">> --<br class="">> Douglas Onyango, PRINCE 2, ITILv3<br class="">> UG: +256 776 716 138<br class="">><br class="">> ______________________________<wbr class="">_________________<br class="">> Community-Discuss mailing list<br class="">><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="mailto:Community-Discuss@afrinic.net" class="">Community-Discuss@afrinic.net</a><br class="">><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/community-discuss" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" class="">https://lists.afrinic.net/<wbr class="">mailman/listinfo/community-<wbr class="">discuss</a><br class="">><br class=""><br class="">______________________________<wbr class="">_________________<br class="">Community-Discuss mailing list<br class=""><a href="mailto:Community-Discuss@afrinic.net" class="">Community-Discuss@afrinic.net</a><br class=""><a href="https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/community-discuss" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" class="">https://lists.afrinic.net/<wbr class="">mailman/listinfo/community-<wbr class="">discuss</a><br class=""></div></div></blockquote></div><br class=""></div><br class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><br class=""></div></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important;" class="">_______________________________________________</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important;" class="">Community-Discuss mailing list</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class=""><a href="mailto:Community-Discuss@afrinic.net" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class="">Community-Discuss@afrinic.net</a><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class=""><a href="https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/community-discuss" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class="">https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/community-discuss</a></div></blockquote></div><br class=""></div></body></html>