[WSIS CS-Plenary] Opening ceremony speaker

[mclauglm at po.muohio.edu]

Hi everyone,

I agree very much with the views of Djilali, Pascal, and Jean-Louis 
in respect to Bertrand's proposal. I have little to add to these 
well-stated commentaries, nor to Meryem's remarks about the process. 
As we are inside the process (at least to a minor extent), we would 
be fooling ourselves to suggest that Civil Society has avoided the 
net of co-optation. And, yet, we need to be very careful about the 
extent of the co-optation because less is better than more. We are a 
very diverse group, some more willing to be "inside" and co-opted 
than others (particularly in respect to global capitalism), but we 
did agree at Prepcom 3 that some sort of alternative approach is 
necessary--at least, that is what is suggested when we realize the 
need for an alternative vision document. As the latter appears to be 
fading into the background, there is a proposal to headline a 
privileged, white male from the US, who has helped to create a fetish 
out of the internet, making "it a gift to the whole world" even while 
having created a "multi-trillion dollar industry" (if believed, a 
"balancing" act to be sure, and one that is consistent with many 
private sector claims of altruism). Does anyone really believe that 
the internet has so far been "a gift to the whole world"? The ITU's 
own statistics would disagree. When "Civil Society" makes a decision, 
the not-so-simple question is "whose interest are we serving?" We 
should not simply court the interests of the few, and we should not 
undercut past, stated positions that lend coherence to how we think 
of ourselves as "Civil Society." Please remember that, in past press 
conferences, we have been undercut by our own mixed messages.

Regards,
Lisa
(Union for Democratic Communications)



>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
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Bertrand de LA CHAPELLE" <lachapelle at openwsis.org>
>To: <plenary at wsis-cs.org>
>Sent: Monday, November 10, 2003 2:06 AM
>Subject: Re: [WSIS CS-Plenary] Opening ceremony speaker
>
>
>>  Hi all,
>>
>>  Choosing who will speak in the opening ceremony is important
>>  to be sure our views are faithfully expressed and to enhance
>>  media coverage. But it is also about strategically
>>  ESTABLISHING THE RIGHT FOR CIVIL SOCIETY TO NOMINATE WHO
>>  WILL REPRESENT IT.
>>
>>  Therefore, as the goal is to set a precedent upon which we
>>  can build later, we need to choose someone reflecting CS
>>  views on the Information Society that cannot be rebuffed or
>>  refused by any government.
>>
>>  For these reasons, why not invite for the opening ceremony
>>  speech Tim Berners-Lee, THE inventor of the World Wide Web
>>  and the Director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) ?
>>
>>  This would present many advantages, reminding participants
>>  and in particular governments :
>>  - that the Information Society they keep talking about is
>>  fundamentally organized around the World Wide Web, which was
>>  invented by civil society (indeed a single human : how more
>>  civil society can you be ?)
>>  -  that without wanting to protect or patent his invention,
>  > Berners-Lee made it a gift to the whole world, showing that
>>  if legal protection can help innovation, it is not always a
>>  necessity;
>>  - that the creation of this global commons (an open
>  > standard) has triggerd a multi-trillion dollar industry and
>>  impacted society in a way similar only to the printing press
>>  or electricity
>>  - that new frontiers are being explored (the so-
>>  called "Semantic web" of the highest importance for cultural
>>  and linguistic diversity).
>>
>>  Beyond singlehandedly inventing the Web, Tim Berners-lee
>>  also designed the World Wide Web Consortium or W3C), an
>>  innovative multi-stakeholder decision-making and standard-
>>  setting process dedicated to addressing the issues raised by
>>  its development.
>>
>>  In a nutshel, TBL did not only promote the values we defend
>>  (global commons, open architectures and standards, flexible
>>  frameworks for dialogue involving a wide variety of
>>  stakeholders, access to information, transparency, non-
>>  profit approach,  ...); he also implemented them in
>>  everything he did.
>>
>>  The very success of what he created is the best proof that
>>  those principles do work. Nobody is in a better position
>>  (credibility) to expose the present attacks against some of
>>  the founding principles of the Internet and the Web that CS
>>  cares about.
>>
>>  Other advantage : no government in its sane mind can take
>>  the risk of the public ridicule of refusing the floor in a
>>  summit on the Information Society to the very man who, more
>>  than anyone, helped it happen. Should Civil Society agree on
>>  his nomination through the present process (and provided of
>>  course he can and wants to participate), his name could be
>>  given with no alternative option, thereby establishing CS
>>  right to nominating its own speakers.
>>
>>  I hope you will find this suggestion useful and capable of
>>  triggering a rapid consensus. Many things can be added.
>  >
>>  But as my view may be biased, I encourage suggestions,
>>  comments and critics on this one. In particular, I recognize
>>  TBL, as a white male living in the US, does not help on the
>>  criterias of gender and geographical balance.
>>
>>  Should a decision be taken among us, I am sure many of you
>>  are in a position to help contact TBL if necessary and we
>>  should select the best channel .
>>
>>  Cheers to all
>>
>>  Bertrand
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>
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