[rpd] Policy supremacy

[Gugu Dhlamini]

Dear Ben,

Introductions can be helpful, but they are voluntary. They should not
become an informal test of who qualifies as a “genuine” community member.

Affiliation provides context; it does not grant permission to participate.
An open process should assess contributions on their substance, not require
newcomers to be certified by those already familiar with one another.

If disclosure is to become a formal requirement, it must be written clearly
and applied equally to every participant, including long-standing members.
Until then, familiarity is not mandate.

Regards,
Gugu


On Tue, 21 Jul 2026, 4:22 pm Ben Roberts - AfriNIC <ben.roberts at afrinic.net>
wrote:

> Gugu,
> I have invited the newcomers to introduce themselves. The vast majority
> have not done so, and some replied to me with their reasons for refusing to
> make a simple introduction. We are an open community and we welcome genuine
> community members. Only one, Mandla who joined yesterday, has made the
> effort to introduce themselves. And he told us he was a Policy Contributor
> at the Number Resource Society. I actually Ok with that, even if I disagree
> with the views of NRS, since we understand Mandla’s affiliation.
>
> I do extend again an invite for the “newbies” to introduce themselves.
>
> Kind regards
> Ben
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On 21 Jul 2026, at 15:48, Gugu Dhlamini <gugudhlamini343 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> 
> Hi Ben,
>
> It is not “well known” that the community consists only of people already
> recognised by a familiar circle. That is precisely the gatekeeping problem.
>
> Email domains, joining dates, professional profiles, or personal
> familiarity do not determine whether someone may participate. If there is
> evidence of impersonation or automated abuse, submit it to the co-chairs.
> Otherwise, address the arguments.
>
> An open mailing list is a forum for participation, not a private club
> whose regulars decide who qualifies as human or community.
>
> Regards,
> Gugu
>
> On Tue, 21 Jul 2026, 2:52 pm jordi.palet--- via RPD <rpd at afrinic.net>
> wrote:
>
>> I always said that I prefer to write 100 new policy proposals than be in
>> the position of a chair, and not just with this discussion and not just in
>> AFRINIC :-)
>>
>> However, I personally think that the arguments in both directions show,
>> at the time being, that the objections are not justified as to revert the
>> consensus decision.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Jordi
>>
>> @jordipalet
>>
>> > El 21 jul 2026, a las 14:35, Rob Evans <internetplumber at gmail.com>
>> escribió:
>> >
>> > Jordi,
>> >
>> >> Let’s suppose the Last Call fails based on that. The staff implements
>> it just operationally, and then the community still prefers to have it as a
>> policy.
>> >
>> > Whilst I am in no position to speak on behalf of RIR staff, I
>> > _suspect_ that if the policy fails to get approval now, regardless of
>> > the reason behind it, then AfriNIC staff would be very reluctant to
>> > implement it operationally, as that could now be perceived as going
>> > against the will of the community.
>> >
>> > I fear that this entire discussion is bringing more heat than light at
>> > the moment, and I look forward to the co-chairs decision at the end of
>> > the Last Call period (and what happens after that).
>> >
>> > Cheers,
>> > Rob
>>
>>
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