[WSIS CS-Plenary] Opening ceremony speaker

Mon Nov 10 16:14:52 GMT 2003

Hi Lisa and other firneds,
Thanks for your supportive message.
One of the last message proposed President Mendela to
chair the opening meeting. Of course nobody more than
this fabilious man should be the best man in the best
place. But Africa has only this wonderfull man, for a
long time i hope, to make a consensus on difficult
problem facing the humanity and the Afrika future in
this globalization becoming. Please let'us keep him
out of useless meetings like WSIS. He has not to
support UIT and UN Summits unfair initiatives. If some
among us feel unconfortable with Tim Berners-Lee who
bousted the ultra liberalism let's support the Pope
Jean Paul II for chairing the WSIS opening meeting, he
is the man who could make the difference.
Djilali    
--- mclauglm at po.muohio.edu wrote:
> 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 ?)
> 
=== message truncated ===

=====
Djilali Benamrane : dbenamrane at yahoo.com
Tél/Fax : (331) 01 45 39 77 02 Paris - France
Page web sur l'Afrique et la globalisation : http://www.multimania.com/djilalibenamrane/
Groupe de discussion: http://www.egroups.com/list/afriqueglobalization

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