[WSIS CS-Plenary] Opening ceremony speaker

[Diana Mercorios]

Dear Jean-Louis,
Thank you for this message. I concur with your sentiments (and those of Meryem), especially when you say that there is no "need to worship the inventor(s), designers or manufacturers of the Internet." I think that the development of the Info. Society should be about ensuring that ALL the ICTs can be appropriatly developed and utilized by ALL. And yes the speakers who represent CS should be those that can speak on our issues.

Regards,
Diana
 

---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: "Fullsack Jean-Louis" <jlfullsack at wanadoo.fr>
Reply-To: plenary at wsis-cs.org
Date:  Mon, 10 Nov 2003 14:15:24 +0100

>Hi Bertrand and all
>
>Once more Bertrand proposes Tim Berners-Lee to the CS for beeing  its
>"header". It reminds me a memorable night session of our C&T group,
>discussing the final proposal for the layout and additive content to be
>incorporated into the Action plan, at the end of PrepCom-2. Bertrand then
>showed us (i.e. the CS night workers) the first page of the Action plan in
>its "final" layout. It was headed by a quotation of and a tribute to his
>"heroe". I definitely opposed this "header" in such a strategic CS document,
>explaining that we the CS aren't here for promoting the Internet, but at
>first committed for making efficient proposals to narrow the "digital
>divide". This opinion was shared by the other CS delegates present and
>finally Bertrand accepted to withdraw his proposal, not without mentioning
>that we are at first committed in giving the Information Society its
>substance.
>I remind that episode because it is symptomatic of the orientation and goals
>of a significant part of CS representatives at the WSIS, and particularly in
>the C&T group, giving an excessive importance and priority to issues related
>to the Internet. Of course, we ALL agree that Internet gouvernance as well
>as the rights for its access and usage are important issues that have to be
>tackled by the CS, but this doesn't need to worship the inventor(s),
>designers or manufacturers of the Internet who took largely profit from it.
>In such a logic CS soon will propose a quotation of Bill Gates as a "header"
>in the Declaration of principles ! The numerous messages nominating
>personnalities from this sphere -most of them without any contact to our
>activity and commitment in the WSIS process- as CS speakers at the Summit
>prove this regretable drift.
>CS has to come back quickly to its sources and to the issues it is mandated
>for by its members and not in promoting, even indirectly, neither the
>Internet nor its gourous. As it has to be prudent in adopting, without
>sufficient discussion and debate, some controversial gouvernements' views
>(the "Solidarity Fund" or "Agenda" is one among others).
>This involves some ethics to be respected inside of the CS. Very
>opportunately and with solid arguments Meryem reminds us all how CS should
>act as to respect democratic rules and procedures in the WSIS process,
>especially in the view of preparing the Summit and in designating OUR
>speaker nominees. I fully subscribe to her opinion and recommendations, even
>if I still feel some "trouble" as far as CS participation at the round
>tables is concerned. I feel that at least we sould be "as close as possible
>to the seats" if we aren't sitting on them following a decision that only
>the CS Plenary can take.
>As far as speaker nominees are concerned I support the African Caucus
>nominees proposal (with a preference for Aminata Traore as Opening speaker)
>even if I previously suggested Philippe Quéau to be one of them. For me this
>suggestion should mainly give a strong signal of CS's independence from any
>kind of "official connectivity".
>
>With my best wishes to Bertrand and all CS delegates for a good job at
>PrepCom-3a that I must unfortunately follow remotely.
>
>Jean-Louis Fullsack
>CSDPTT - France
>
>


--
Diana Mercorios
Regional Programme Manager
ABANTU for Development (Europe)
<<.>>.<<.>>.<<.>>.<<.>>.<<.>>.<<.>>
1 Winchester House
11 Cranmer Road, London SW9 6EJ
Tel: +44 (0)207 8200066
Fax: +44 (0)207 8200088
Diana at abantu.org / dmercorios at yahoo.com
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