<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=""><br class=""><div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On 3 May 2016, at 19:36, Owen DeLong <<a href="mailto:owen@delong.com" class="">owen@delong.com</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8" class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Here I will disagree… I do not feel that Andrew has done anything improper.</div></div></blockquote><div><br class=""></div>You are welcome to your opinion. I feel different.</div><div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">While there may be questionable optics of advocating for a candidate who is not yet publicly known to be a candidate,</div><div class="">I’m quite certain that Mike and Andrew have discussed Mike’s potential candidacy independent of any privileged knowledge</div><div class="">that Andrew would have as a member of the board.</div></div></div></blockquote><div><br class=""></div>Regardless - there are still expectations from board members and there is the natural bias which you alluded to in an earlier mail<br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">I have not in any part of this called into question the integrity of either Mike Silber or Andrew Alston and I have</div><div class="">no questions about their integrity. I believe both to be upstanding members of the community with a genuine desire</div><div class="">to serve.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div></div></div></blockquote><div><br class=""></div>there is also the question of ethics, conflicts of interest and the perception of integrity</div><div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">My only intent was to question what I perceive to be a potential structural problem and advocate for a community</div><div class="">discussion of that issue. Ideally in a calm and rational basis. I fully recognize that any such discussion cannot</div><div class="">possibly impact the upcoming election in any legitimate way and that any bylaw change proposal that may come from</div><div class="">such a discussion would have to be addressed after the election.</div></div></div></blockquote><div><br class=""></div>It is not your intent that is in question here.</div><div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Again, I have no problem with Mr. Silber’s candidacy, nor am I advocating against his election.</div></div></div></blockquote><div><br class=""></div>For the record, my position is the same.</div><div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Owen</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On May 3, 2016, at 10:58 , Omo Oaiya <<a href="mailto:Omo.Oaiya@wacren.net" class="">Omo.Oaiya@wacren.net</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8" class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Andrew,<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">It does not matter if you retract or what you believe about these candidates. This stinks to high heaven and hardly what one expects from board members, in their personal capacities or otherwise. This is really unfortunate. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">In my view, you have tainted those who you would support with the impetuousness of your action. You could have least waited for the NOMCOM to complete its job. It is hard to believe that you or the other members of the board whom you name are unaware of the implications.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">-Omo</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""><div class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On 3 May 2016, at 18:38, Andrew Alston <<a href="mailto:Andrew.Alston@liquidtelecom.com" class="">Andrew.Alston@liquidtelecom.com</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class="">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" class="">
<div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; font-size: 14px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<div class="">
<div class="">Hi Abel,</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Yes, I advocated for candidates. If you notice I clearly stated, I do not know who is on the slate. I do not have a final slate. However, I know who the candidates are that I support. I have every right to lobby for those candidates at any point. Just
as any candidate or any other person has the right to lobby for their candidates.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">I did not send that email as a board member, I sent it as a personal individual. I stand by what I said, and I stand by those endorsements.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">As for the allegations about people being paid. That is completely false and a libellous allegation that was investigated and found to have no merit, as resolutions published will attest to. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">I stand by every word I said in the below email, and I will not, and would not retract a single word of it.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Andrew</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">
<div id="MAC_OUTLOOK_SIGNATURE" class=""></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION" class="">
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left; border-width: 1pt medium medium; border-style: solid none none; padding: 3pt 0in 0in; border-top-color: rgb(181, 196, 223);" class="">
<span style="font-weight:bold" class="">From: </span>abel ELITCHA <<a href="mailto:kmw.elitcha@gmail.com" class="">kmw.elitcha@gmail.com</a>><br class="">
<span style="font-weight:bold" class="">Date: </span>Tuesday, 3 May 2016 at 8:33 PM<br class="">
<span style="font-weight:bold" class="">To: </span>"AfriNIC RPD MList." <<a href="mailto:rpd@afrinic.net" class="">rpd@afrinic.net</a>><br class="">
<span style="font-weight:bold" class="">Subject: </span>[rpd] AFRINIC ELECTIONS<br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">
<div class="">
<div dir="ltr" class="">
<div class="">Hi</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">I got to see the mail below from a board member. It concerned me as i raised some importants points:</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">1- While according to the election timeline (<a href="http://www.afrinic.net/en/community/elections/bod-election/process" class="">http://www.afrinic.net/en/community/elections/bod-election/process</a>), the NOMCOM is evaluating the candidates and has not yet announced
the slates, the board member started the campaign to </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">influence the process and the vote</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">2- He is pushing for a candidate from his company</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">3- He issued an arbitrary judgment on the ability of the community to decide </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">4- I recalled that it is the same board member who admitted in 2014 that he influenced the elections by paying for people to come and vote for him. The disclosure of which caused two board members to resign for breaching NDA.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Begin forwarded message:</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Hi All,</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">I’m going to take a bit of an unusual step for me here, as promised in</div>
<div class="">earlier emails, and I am now ready to officially endorse certain</div>
<div class="">candidates for the AfriNIC elections.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">I state openly that I do NOT yet know the entire slate, however, due</div>
<div class="">to time limitations and knowing what I know about the candidates I</div>
<div class="">refer to below, as well as at least some of the candidates running</div>
<div class="">against them (which I have heard from those candidates running</div>
<div class="">directly), I feel I’m in a position to take a strong and unequivocal</div>
<div class="">stance here and am ready to state to the community at large my views</div>
<div class="">on this.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Hence, in the next AfriNIC election, there are three seats open, one</div>
<div class="">independent seat, one north african seat and one west african seat.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">On the West African seat, I am endorsing Sunday Folayan. Sunday is</div>
<div class="">the current chair of the AfriNIC board, and despite many trying</div>
<div class="">circumstances in the year and half since he has taken the chair,</div>
<div class="">AfriNIC has made tremendous progress. Indeed, in Pointe Noir we were</div>
<div class="">credited with giving the community transparent information and</div>
<div class="">financials for the first time in 10 years. Sunday and his leadership</div>
<div class="">played a huge part in this and his institutional knowledge and the way</div>
<div class="">he has run the board have been critical to the improved situation we</div>
<div class="">are starting to find ourselves in.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">On the North African seat, I am endorsing Hytham Ek-Nakhal. Hytham is</div>
<div class="">currently the deputy chair of the board, and again, in the year since</div>
<div class="">he took that position, he has proved very capable and also carries</div>
<div class="">deep institutional knowledge from a prolonged tenure on the board. I</div>
<div class="">have found him to be fair, reasonable and willing to both have his</div>
<div class="">views and debate the views of others in the search for a consensus</div>
<div class="">approach. Hence, I strongly believe that his tenure on the board</div>
<div class="">should continue.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">On the Independent seat, here I am endorsing Mike Silber, who many of</div>
<div class="">you know. I do not know if the current board member for this seat is</div>
<div class="">going to be running again, but irrespective of that my endorsement</div>
<div class="">will stand, due to specific skills I believe the AfriNIC board</div>
<div class="">requires. Mike has many many years in the industry, and his work with</div>
<div class="">ICANN and within the addressing space is well documented and well</div>
<div class="">respected. In addition to that, Mike is legally trained and that is</div>
<div class="">something we desperately need within AfriNIC as we look at the bylaws,</div>
<div class="">as we move into an era where there is a governance committee, there</div>
<div class="">are bids of control and various other issues. It is that legal skill</div>
<div class="">set that we are missing directly on the board (yes, we have legal</div>
<div class="">council, but it is a very different thing to have someone who has that</div>
<div class="">kind of legal knowledge actually sitting on the board).</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">I need to also point out, in the event of the board losing both Sunday</div>
<div class="">and Hytham, and the independent seat going to a weak candidate,</div>
<div class="">AfriNIC will be in serious trouble. Firstly, I personally do not</div>
<div class="">believe that the board has anyone who is anywhere close to as capable</div>
<div class="">as Sunday or Hytham for the positions of chair and vice chair</div>
<div class="">respectively, and whoever comes in could not take those positions no</div>
<div class="">matter how strong, since those positions require institutional</div>
<div class="">knowledge that comes from time served on the board. My reasoning for</div>
<div class="">endorsing Mike is made plain above.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">As such, for those of you who are opting to issue proxies and wish to</div>
<div class="">issue proxies to myself or via myself, this is how I will be voting.</div>
<div class="">Those of you who are voting electronically, I encourage you when the</div>
<div class="">slate comes out to study each and every candidate – but I am confident</div>
<div class="">that what I have said above will ring true, and I ask every member of</div>
<div class="">this list to get out there and use your vote, either for one of these</div>
<div class="">candidates or otherwise one of the others when the slate comes out –</div>
<div class="">but please, make sure you vote, either via proxy or via online or in</div>
<div class="">person. I cannot stress how many critical issues are going to come up</div>
<div class="">in the next year or two, and without a strong and independent board we</div>
<div class="">could face serious issues.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Please feel free to address any questions to me. As stated in</div>
<div class="">previous emails, as soon as the proxy generation system is open, for</div>
<div class="">those that wish to use that route, I will supply details on how to use</div>
<div class="">it.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Thanks</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Andrew "</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</span>
</div>
_______________________________________________<br class="">RPD mailing list<br class=""><a href="mailto:RPD@afrinic.net" class="">RPD@afrinic.net</a><br class=""><a href="https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/rpd" class="">https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/rpd</a></div></blockquote></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><br class=""></div></div></div></blockquote></div></div></div></div></blockquote></div><br class=""></body></html>