[Foundation-l] Re: [Wikipedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation : le ver dans le fruit ?

[notafish]

Please find herewith a revised translation for better understanding.

> I posted the following text:  "Wikimedia
> Foundation:  the worm in the fruit?  At the
> time of the constituent assembly of the French
> association Wikimedia France, the subject came up 
> that Jimmy Wales and Wikimedia
> Foundation would refuse  the right to use
> the trademarks which it held (Wikimedia,
> Wikipedia, Wktionary, Wikibooks...) if
> the Foundation did not have a right of veto
> (the term was debated) on the decisions
> that the French foundation would make.
> At the same time, during the creation of
> Wikimedia Foundation, Jimmy Wales imposed 3
> seats out of 5, and reserved himself the seat of
> president, the 2 seats remaining being
> provided by election (what led to 4
> anglophone members out of 5).  This
> way of doing things was not to be renewed, and a
> really democratic election was to take
> place this year (it is what had been known
> as at the time).  One learns now that Jimmy
> Wales intends to continue to reserve himself the
> seat of president, with probably a right of
> veto on the decisions.  A less democratic process
> appears difficult.  The one year delay
> was thus only one means of drowning fish.
> This way of doing things should make us ask ourselves
> certain number of questions:  
>*  What are these foundations used ?
> *  Don't donators have a right to say something on 
> the use that is made of the money they gave? 
> * Isn't it deceiving people to make
> believe that the foundation takes care of the
> interests of Wikipedia, whereas it is only
> a buttocks-organization, without any real
> capacity of decision? 
>*  Isnt it deceiving to give the appearance of democracy
>when it is not at all democratic?
>*  What will the community do if
> Jimmy Wales makes decisions opposite to
> the opinion of the majority, as it could be
> the case on the subject of
> advertisement (Jimbo never decided clearly
> against)?  
>To answer "Why don't you just fork?" is
> slapping the donators in the face
>Hear me well:  I do not have
> anything against Jimbo, and I would have
> been the first to vote for him in 2004,
> and this, as long as he  would
> have been ready to remain president.  That
> would have been only a formality.  Today,
> I would be more circumspect.  Of what is Jimbo
> afraid exactly?  Some answered:
> that a Board would precisely make
> decisions opposite to the will of the
> majority.  In addition to the fact that it
> is in complete contradiction with the
> concept even of democracy, the current
> system does not put to us with the shelter.
> Simply, this "privilege" is reserved to
> only one person.  Personally, I intended to
> rather strongly get involved in the activity of
> the French association, but now, I am two
> inches away from forgetting about the whole thing.
>  That would be
> already done if Wikipédia and the other
> projects were not in GFDL, which means
> that they do not belong to the Foundation.
> Without hostility, I would like to strive to build 
> a collective work, and not to a
> sort of monument to the glory of Jimmy
> Wales, whatever his merits may be.