[governance] Serious Matters for ISOC

Fri Feb 3 06:22:27 EST 2017

Dear Janvier,

Thanks for your third email, trying to clarify the two previous ones.
Actually, you don't need to justify yourself because when words are out,
there is no way to take them back, especially in this context where they
were written words which are kept in our archives. And trust me, i
understand the language challenges you are facing, myself being a native
French speaker. Sometimes, we are not able to fully express our minds in a
different language :)

I do salute the amazing work ISOC Cameroon is doing under your leadesrhip
since 2011 and most importantly the fact that you are in line with the
vision and mission of ISOC global under which (i believe) the Chapter is
operating (even if you are a registered not for profit in Cameroon).
Especially the actions you are planning to implement in this particular
situation with regards to the shutdown. And please do not forget to include
(i know you have done these already) capacity building programs on issues
such as digital rights targetting all stakeholders, as suggested on this
list.

The over all discussion was based, in my humble opinion, on the fact that
in your 1st email you sounded like someone who is trying by all means to
tell this community that what's happening in Cameroon is not a terrible
situation, only because it is just two regions out of 10 which are offline
and that should not be considered as a disaster. And we should not speak up
about that. Worse thing you signed your email as "ISOC Cameroon President",
meaning you are speaking with that hat and in response to a call for
support from another ISOC Cameroon member (i believe).

And everyone (most of us here) was in agreement that this was a terrible
declaration because universal principles, especially in the context of
civil society in the Internet governance sphere, state that even one person
should not be left behind. And when it is just two regions, if we don't
speak up, next might be 3 or the whole country being turned offline, which
is what happened in so many other countries including the DRC (where i come
from). That's why we, as a group, decided to make an official statement on
this and I am glad, as a result, you came back and explained that we
misunderstood you.

As a Cameroonian and an activist of open Internet (with a lot of
experience), you should, in fact, consider this debate as a plus because
now so many people are aware about what's going on in the country and how
vulnerable the people affacted are. And whenever there is such a global
awareness, we can expect good results in the future.

And finally, you didn't have to say that we (Mawaki, Norbert and myself)
are not more human rights activists than you are. This is simply rude and
was out of context. We all fight the same battle and there is no need to
say this to anyone who is only trying to help your country fellows and your
country to benefit from an open Internet.

I hope this debate will end here because it is no longer about you
personally, dear Janvier, but about what we all fight for. I personally do
wish the best to you and the people of Cameroon (where we have a lot of
friends and colleagues) especially these regions which are facing social
tensions and instability.

Best regards,
Arsene, IGC Coordinator

------------------------
**Arsène Tungali**
Co-Founder & Executive Director, *Rudi international
<http://www.rudiinternational.org>*,
CEO,* Smart Services Sarl <http://www.smart-serv.info>*, *Mabingwa Forum
<http://www.mabingwa-forum.com>*
Tel: +243 993810967
GPG: 523644A0
*Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo*

2015 Mandela Washington Felllow
<http://tungali.blogspot.com/2015/06/selected-for-2015-mandela-washington.html>
(YALI) - ISOC Ambassador (IGF Brazil
<http://www.internetsociety.org/what-we-do/education-and-leadership-programmes/next-generation-leaders/igf-ambassadors-programme/Past-Ambassadors>
& Mexico
<http://www.internetsociety.org/what-we-do/education-and-leadership-programmes/next-generation-leaders/Current-Ambassadors>)
- AFRISIG 2016 <http://afrisig.org/afrisig-2016/class-of-2016/> - Blogger
<http://tungali.blogspot.com> - ICANN Fellow (Los Angeles
<https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2014-07-18-en> & Marrakech
<https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/marrakech55-attendees-2016-03-14-en>
). AFRINIC Fellow (Mauritius
<http://www.afrinic.net/en/library/news/1907-afrinic-25-fellowship-winners>)*
- *IGFSA Member <http://www.igfsa.org/> - The HuffingtonPost UK
<http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/liza-bel/drc_b_8958150.html>

2017-02-03 12:49 GMT+02:00 Janvier NGNOULAYE <jnoulaye at gmail.com>:

> Hi to All,
> I just note that many people have deliberately chosen some words from my
> last 2 mails and focused their arguments on its, and finally come out with
> their declaration.
> But, It would have been fair to analyse the full  content of the 2 mails,
> and not to be focused on some single words taken out of their context.
> Thank to Coko Tracy who pointed out a mistake of language I made when I
> said "You are no more human rights activist than we are ......"  reather
> than to say : "You are not more human rights activist than we are...."
>  Next time I'll write everything in French.
>
> I request every one to put on the table these two mails I sent and make a
> fair analyse sentence by sentence.
> My 1st mail was trying to describe what was happening on the ground,and at
> the end I suggested that the Chapter will work with the two partis to find
> out a better solution.
> The 2nd mail is in response to Arsène, Norbert and Mawaki where I come
> with the statement that they were not more human rights activist, or not
> more open internet activist than we are in ISOC Cameroon Chapter, for
> meaning that the Chapter is  in line with the vision and mission of
> Internet Society on the ground. I found a  partiality in their analysis and
> it is deplorable. For instance into my  2nd mail, I talked about sensitized
> and educated, for the better use of the Internet technologies and policies
> with the governement, and the local population. No one on this list points
> out  this solution we raise and on which we are working now, to encourage
> or to advice us.
> Anyway, anyone is free to support or not any action we can make.
>
> Warm regards
> Janvier Ngnoulaye
>
>
>
>
>
>> -------- Forwarded Message --------
>> Subject: Re: [governance] Internet Shutdown: An IGC Statement to the ISOC
>> Cameroon Chapter?
>> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2017 02:29:02 +0100
>> From: Janvier NGNOULAYE <jnoulaye at gmail.com>
>> To: Internet Governance <governance at lists.igcaucus.org>, Norbert Bollow <
>> nb at bollow.ch>, Arsène Tungali <arsenebaguma at gmail.com>
>> CC: Dawit Bekele <bekele at isoc.org>, dawit at isoc.org, Joyce Dogniez <
>> dogniez at isoc.org>, Dawit Bekele via Internet Society <
>> mail at connectedcommunity.org>, chapter-d >> Chapter Delegates <
>> Chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org>
>>
>> Dear
>> 
>> Arsène, Norbert, Mawaki
>>
>> I appreciate your enthusiasm in your role.
>> 
>> You are no more human rights
>> activist than we are, or even
>> 
>> more open internet activist than we are in ISOC Cameroon Chapter.
>>
>> We volunteer  each day to work to make the Internet as open and
>> accessible as possible to our local population. I do not need to show out
>> here on this platform  the actions and projects achieved so far. So you
>> must understand that, we can not endorse a privation of the Internet to our
>> population for whom we promote the open access of the Internet. I regret
>> that you have misunderstand some words of my first mail on the matter.
>>
>> I would like to thank you for your concern on the case of Cameroon and
>> also thank you for the declarative solution approach you are currently
>> proposing. However, note that:
>>
>> 1) Cameroon is in a situation of war against Boko Haram,
>> 2) Cameroon is in a situation of war against the secessionists, who have
>> at one time erected their flag inside one part of the territory, no one
>> knows by who they are supported and financed.
>> 3) the current socio-political context is complex, and adding to that,
>> there is still a lack of knowledge for using Internet tools by a big part
>> of the population.
>> 4) facing all of that, the government has taken security measures in its
>> own way, some may be considered unfair, but it is wise for us to try to
>> seat with them, discuss and work for the better solution, because we
>> think that they need to be sensitized and educated about the better used of
>> the Internet technologies and policies.
>> 5) In a situation of conflict and crisis in a given country, there will
>> be no an universal solution as you tend to suggest  from your respective
>> offices.
>> 6) I chaired the ISOC Cameroon General Annual Assembly on Saturday 28
>> January 2017, this issue was addressed. Not need to expose its minutes to
>> you here.
>>
>> So If you really want to help, please check back your proposal.
>>
>> I wanted to appeal the Internet Community, those who made a phone call to
>> us to encourage us, and all the others of the community, to  keep trusting
>> ISOC Cameroon Chapter, who is working hard on the field to solve the issue.
>>
>> Best regards.
>>
>> Janvier Ngnoulaye, Ph.D
>> ICT Teacher at the University
>> President of the ISOC Cameroon Chapter.
>> Activist of "The Internet is for everyone"
>> http://www.internetsociety.cm/
>>
>>
>> -------- Forwarded Message --------
>> Subject: Re: [governance] [bestbits] Please Cameroon did not shut down
>> the Internet !!!
>> Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2017 16:58:48 +0100
>> From: Janvier NGNOULAYE <jnoulaye at gmail.com>
>> To: Internet Governance <governance at lists.igcaucus.org>, Renata Aquino
>> Ribeiro <raquino at gmail.com>
>> CC: Deji Bryce Olukotun <deji at accessnow.org>, Arsène Tungali <
>> arsenebaguma at gmail.com>, Judith Hellerstein <judith at jhellerstein.com>, <
>> bestbits at lists.bestbits.net> <bestbits at lists.bestbits.net>
>>
>> Hi to all,
>>
>> It seems to me that the problem of access to Internet in Cameroon is very
>> much amplified here on the Net. There are 10 regions in Cameroon, the
>> problem of access to the Internet is only concerning 2 Regions.
>>
>> These 2 regions actually has some political or social crisis. The
>> government and other stakeholders in these 2 areas are looking for suitable
>> solutions.
>>
>> Meanwhile, the government has seen fit to cut these two regions of
>> Internet access and Western Union money transfer services, for the sake of
>> the entire population of these 2 regions.
>>
>> Internet works well everywhere else in the other 8 regions. I'm sending
>> this mail from Yaounde in Cameroon. So the situation is not a disaster as
>> some seem to publish on the Net. The ISOC Chapter can only encourage the
>> government and the other stakeholders to seek lasting peace solutions, even
>> if it involves a temporary suspension of Internet and Western Union
>> services.
>>
>> ISOC Cameroon Chapter
>> President
>>
>
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