I too get the same impression as Salmaan - this election is the formalisation of existing executive members after the registration was completed. But i do see the designations have changed per the diff here - http://wikimedia.in/index.php?title=Executive_Committee_Members&action=historysubmit&diff=1767&oldid=1599

Can someone enlighten me when the last election was held? and how long have the current exec council members have been exec members. The memorandum of association states the election is to be an annual one, but the memorandum page in wikimedia.in itself was created only on April 2010. (I am new to the list and am just curious).

regards
Bala
On Mon, Feb 7, 2011 at 12:11 AM, Theo10011 <de10011@gmail.com> wrote:

Ahh, wasn't the chapter registered less than a month ago Tinu? I don't know more than half the people from the chapter but I think you're being awfully presumptuous in claiming that "the executive members keep electing each other". I thought this was the founding group, the registered entity has been around for less than a month, right or did I miss something?


Regards


Salmaan
User:Theo10011


On Mon, Feb 7, 2011 at 12:04 AM, jayanta nath <jayantanth@gmail.com> wrote:
  7 executive members keep electing each other, each time !!!!

Nice observation from Tinu..... My observation and  comment is same as below.



On Sun, Feb 6, 2011 at 11:43 PM, CherianTinu Abraham <tinucherian@gmail.com> wrote:
Hearty congratulations to Arjuna Rao , Hari Prasad & Anirudh Bhati as the new office bearers of the Wikimedia India chapter. Well deserved & best wishes for the future.

Having said that, this unexpected announcement leaves me with several unanswered questions. This has to do nothing with any doubts on the calibre , integrity & abilities of new office bearers or the rest of the committee members. I still personally share a very close & cordial relations with all of the exec comn members, but that doesn't prevent me from asking lots of questions and concerns as an ordinary Wikimedian like me and it may be possibly shared by several others in this list. 

a) If there was to be a change of the office bearers of the chapter ( decided) on the Jan 22 Exec Comm meeting, why wasn't it announced publicly? Was there an agenda of election of new office bearers for this meeting or just happened as a co-incidence ? What were the other decisions taken on that meeting ? Is there a publicly available minutes of meeting ?

b) How were the new office bearers elected ? Was there an election ? Did the previous office bearers voluntarily resign and called for a new election? Was there a vote ? If there was a vote, will it be publicly shared? What was the need of change of office bearers within few months of chapter approval or one month of chapter registration ? I thought the term of the executive committee members and the office bearers was for two years.

 I am sorry but I have to say this , IMHO it is not an ethical and transparent process if the 7 executive members keep electing each other, each time !!!! 

c) There were several discussions on this mailing list on the chapter on Jan 30 th , 2011 [1] [2] ( after the so called meeting) and had mentions of the current office bearers and none of the executive com members even bothered to clarify. I remember at least two of the exec members replying to those threads then. 

d) So the new office bearers' elections happened on Jan 22 , 2011 ? And I wonder what took the chapter several weeks to announce , such a important change publicly ? Remember this "new election" happened even without a publicly announced agenda, before the meeting. How many such elections can we expect during the current term of the committee? 

We already had lots of concerns shared by the community for the lack of transparency by the chapter and these kinds of things will only underline them. 

If this is the way the chapter intends to operate, I am deeply concerned and worried about its future.

Regards
Tinu Cherian

N.B. 
a) To clarify, I don't intend to run for any office positions for the chapter. But I may have to even think twice to be part of a body which clearly intends to work without any proper transparency and works disconnected from the community, which it supposedly represents. 
 
b) I have always supported the chapter previously in the several discussions earlier, but this announcement put me really worried and hence this mail. Anyways, my best wishes again for the new office bearers and the chapter. Hoping the see more transparent and candid efforts from the chapter in future.  


On Sun, Feb 6, 2011 at 7:23 PM, BalaSundaraRaman <sundarbecse@yahoo.com> wrote:

Dear all,


Following the registration of the Wikimedia Chapter, the first meeting of the Executive Committee (EC) was held on the 22nd January 2011 at 2 PM at 194, 2nd C Cross, Domlur 2nd Phase, Bangalore 560071.

As mandated by the MoA, the office bearers were elected. The executive committee now constitutes of:

  • Arjuna Rao Chavala, President
  • Hari Prasad HS, Secretary
  • Anirudh Singh Bhati, Treasurer
  • Arun Ramarathnam, Member
  • BalaSundaraRaman Lakshmanan, Member
  • Gautam K John, Member
  • Srinivas Gunta, Member

We would like to take the opportunity to thank the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore for allowing generous use of their office facility for the conduct of chapter meetings and helping with registration formalities with services of a Consultant.

We take this opportunity to thank the following people: (in alphabetical order) Achal Prabhala, Barry Newstead, Bence Damokos, Bishakha Datta, Delphine Meynard, M Narasimha Rao, Ray Saintonge, Sunil Abraham, and Ting Chen.

We thank the Wikimedia Community for their help and encouragement and patience with the registration process.

For brief biographies and photos of the EC members, please see:Wikimedia India Chapter Executive Committee Members


On behalf of Wikimedia Chapter

BalaSundaraRaman Lakshmanan,

Member, Wikimedia Chapter

 
"That language is an instrument of human reason, and not merely a medium for the expression of thought, is a truth generally admitted."
- George Boole, quoted in Iverson's Turing Award Lecture


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