Dear Fatima: The LACRALO teleconference ended before I could respond to your final contribution. Please forgive me if the translation corrupted your statement but as offered to us on the English channel, you are recorded to say my position on the LACRALO bye-law changes is not about participation but "something else". The translation also alleges your use of the term 'bribery' in reference to my position. You are dead wrong on the first and misguided on the second. If what was attributed to you is fact, then there is a fundamental disconnect in our understanding of what "participation" means in the context of Internet names and numbers policy development in ICANN. The sole purpose of LACRALO is to collect and funnel policy development advice to ICANN thru the ALAC. I do not feel burdened to defend my participation in policy development in the At-Large community in general nor in LACRALO in particular. And my participation and contributions in the ALAC are matters of public record. I will laser on participation in LACRALO specifically with reference to one really weak indicator proposed to measure "participation"; attendance at LACRALO teleconferences. We have not managed a quorate teleconference in the last 3 teleconferences. LACRALO's business is official and binding when it is quorate. The quorum for LACRALO teleconference is eight (8) ALS. Starting at the macro level, there are 36 accredited ALS in LACRALO; and soon to be 37. Of these, 9 of them, 25% of the total, are from the Caribbean and distinctly English-speaking. This means 75% of ALS are from Latin America. Purely by the laws of mathematics and as a proportion, Latin American ALS provide 75% of quorum opportunity for LACRALO teleconferences. For the most part, at least three (3) but no less than two (2) Caribbean ALS make LACRALO teleconferences; the Secretariat is almost always present. So even when the Caribbean contributes a respectable 25% of the quorum target, LACRALO fails to reach quorum. This failure of quorum and its impact on the throughput of LACRALO business actually penalizes the Caribbean moreso than Latin America. So purely as a matter of participation, the Caribbean's interests are not well-served. Let us compare the foregoing to LACRALO elections. The rule says 50% +1 of accredited ALS is required for a quorum. That is, at least 18 ALS must be present and voting. I cannot ever recall a lack of quorum for a LACRALO election. Colleagues from Barbados and Jamaica have said that an inability to communicate with their representative to ALAC is in fact a burden to them and a disincentive to participate in LACRALO's business. They have told me this is in effect, a degradation of their right to effective representation. I am now unanimous that there is no successful contradiction to this rationale. So here's the thing. Using your popular measure of "participation", I have an interest in acting so as to raise the Caribbean participation from its usual 25% and much closer to 50% of its ALS. And I have a compelling interest in responding in a concrete way to their call for effective representation. Kind regards. Carlton ============================== Carlton A Samuels Mobile: 876-818-1799 *Strategy, Planning, Governance, Assessment & Turnaround* =============================