from: Devanand
to:tamarachabanda@gmail.com
date:Wed, Dec 9, 2009
subject:TAMA elections, Are we better off or worse off? A checkpoint.
TAMA elections, Are we better off or worse off? A checkpoint.
Dear TAMA Rachchabanda,
Thanks for all your entertaining articles and information/gossip during the past couple of weeks. I am also glad that you have taken steps to curb some of the unnecessary activity that has been unleashed during the past 2 days.
Here we are a year after the first shot has been fired and I want to publicly reflect as to whether we are at a better place or not with regards to TAMA. We have had elections during the past 2 years and I do not see it stopping in the forseeable future. I do not want them to stop either. However I would hope that the issues are given more importance than affiliations. A gentleman asked me "Instead of always pointing out what is wrong in TAMA why dont you suggest solutions." Well I did think long and hard and here are a few solutions.
Elections: Good or bad?
Good given people's thought process changes a lot. TAMA is for the Telugu people of Atlanta. TAMA needs to take the direction they want and not any individual or group's direction.
Can we avoid Elections? Maybe only for a few positions?
Although all TAMA positions are considered equal this is really a myth. Here is how I see the hierarchy of TAMA.
1) President
2) Vice President
3) Secretary
4) Treasurer
5) Cultural Co-ordinator
6) Media, Technology (Recently these have becoming prominent positions due to their roles.)
7) Literary
8) Education
Usually only people with real interest vie for the Literary position. For Education, you have to beg people. One well wisher mentioned that you have to make it compulsory for everyone to serve as an Education Coordinator at least once to stand for the top 4 positions. I thought that was funny. Anyway here is my take on this Have elections only upto Treasurer. Make it a rule that anyone contesting for Treasurer should have served in the other 5 positions (Cultural through Education). Then as is TAMA's tradition, Treasurer will become Secretary and so on.
Pros: It will take you 5 years to become a president. Only people who are really interested will come in to the organization. If someone is so talented and interested in serving they can do so from the outside. Support the organization. They can have their names plastered all over the place by sponsoring, supporting TAMA if fame is what they seek.
Eligibility for Elections:
I am somewhat on both sides on this issue. I have had discussions from both points of view. If you make only life members eligible then why even have annual members? What are their benefits? If you make everyone eligible then the General Body which has authority over the "Life Members" funds in CD's is comprised of annual members. Also who are annual members voting for? The people they voted for will not represent them(The current EC will represent them and their membership will expire before the end of the year.) So what does this mean?
Here is a suggestion: Bi-annual membership with voting eligibility for only those members who have enrolled the previous year. Membership term from September thru September. e.g. if you are a member after September 30 2009 and before or on December 31 2009, you will be a member till September 30 2011 and you will be eligible to vote in the elections in November 2010. There are 2 advantages of this. You will see who is working for one year. And you will have someone who represents you for one more year. I know this thought process needs more refinement but that is what rachabanda seems to be there for.
I would love to see different thoughts in this regard.
For those who are anxious to flame on why I supported one Team this year, that is for my next post. In the meanwhile hold your flames, if you can that is.
Thanks
Devanand.
(I think people can uniquely identify me with only my first name.
I refuse to use my last name till that situation arises.)
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13 comments:
Test
First, I would like to congratulate EC 2010.
It is good to see comments from Devanand.
Here are the things I support TAMA to do
1. Scholarships or contest based money prizes for TAMA member kids.
2. More Free Telugu movies for TAMA members
3. Job fairs and assistance for students.
Here are the things we need to take a look at it
1. I am against removing voting rights for annual members
2. I am against voter identification based on passport. Only Georgia residents with valid state identification are eligible to vote. TAMA is Telugu Association of Metro Atlanta and it is not Telugu Association of Metro Alabama or North Carolina
3. Cut off date for annual members eligible to vote in election may be at least 2 or 3 months before election date.
That's all folks. Have fun.
- Ravi Singareddy
Good Dev...
Why are you supporting Bi annual memberships here . Is that because you guys had enough registrations to win the next year also?
I think you should have talked about a few things . I will mention them here which you have missed.
1) How come people from AL , Charlotte are eligible to vote for TAMA. In what way they are relaed.
2) How come people sponser memberships and bring them in vans to vote . Could you please raise this with your people.
3) How come a person who did not server TAMA either directly or indirectly , can be eligible for president directly.
Is that because he has money , power and kaste?
4) What about the bad practices that the teams followed using emails.
Who cretaed emails on the name of Phani and tried to mislead people.
How do you want to curb these practices.
5) cheer leading is good ..but targeting opponents with bad and vulger comments is also good.
So if you gather 50 people with same kind of attitude and shout and comment badly in pulic . Is that acceptable?
How do you curb these practices.
6) How do you stop external people to control TAMA. Peoplease liek Lavayya with evil intentions are doing more bad to the community. How do you stop these people. I know he is your boss in NATS. But you have to question him as you are a neutral person .
please try to get answers for these questions . I know that you are against one person and now joined hands with more vulnerable person.
OK, I agree with you with a few modifications.
Starting next year we will not have elections instead we will have lottery system. Anybody who will join 10 annual/life members and contributed atleast 80 hours in a year for TAMA or any other community activity is eligible. All eligible persons can contest for any two positions of their choice. If a person is selected for one position he will automatically become ineligible for the second position. Everything will be recorded and posted on Youtube.
Howzzatt!
Finally good to see feedback from members, here are my thoughts
1) All members should be eligible to vote, deadline for Annual membership for voting eligibility should be end of March or April
2) Election should be held only up to Secretary. VP and President are just showcase positions; real work is done by the rest.
3) only residents of Metro Atlanta are eligible for membership or vote
P.S. all the suggestions are good but would the current committee amend the bylaws which goes against their own interest?
TamaWala,
I am in complete agreement with your 1 & 3, not with point 2. In democratic system, elections need to be held for all the positions, unless unanimous.
I would like to know when will next TAMA GBM will happen. We can propose these issues in GBM meeting.
- Ravi Singareddy
To Separate:
If you take the time to understand my statements you will realize the fallacy of your argument. I said members between September 31(after) and December 31 are eligibile to vote for the next year. i.e. everyone who joined before the deadline this year are invalid for next year's election.
1) I believe that once upon a time when TAMA was small enough people from all places joined, heck during the silver jubilee year people from chicago became life members too. So how do we curb this? Maybe we can enforce that only people from Georgia can become members. Difficult in case of parents etc. but can probably be done.
2) How do you differentiate between friends helping friends out and people bringing others in vans?
3) My proposal will not let this happen. However this year it happened just like Tanuja became Vice President last year. The rules allow it. It is within the framework.
4) Yes it did happen did it not. From both sides nasty e-mails and nasty propaganda. The only solution I see to this is for all of us to grow up from our "school boy" attitude.
5) I wonder what that person did to elicit such a visceral reaction?
6) Your statement shows your ignorance "Lavu is my Boss?". Wow. I only volunteer for NATS. If someone else asks me to volunteer I will. I volunteered for Shyam with whom we had a big falling out after last years elections. The beauty of our team(Atlanta Telugu Team from last year) was that we did not believe in bosses. Probably why we lost the election. We should have had the campaign handlers the other campaigns had. As far as the slander against Lavu and the rest of the members of our team from last year. We will present our case soon. You will see that we are not against any one person. We are only against practices.
To others:
Bylaws are not amended by the EC. They are amended by the General body after following proper procedure. We can discuss this later.
Devanand.
Dear Devanad,
Most of the members were added after sep 30th, via online using few credit cards and via paper forms using few sponsor checks. I believe 99% of the memberships taken after sep 30 are just for the sake of elections and I do not agree with your proposal of allowing these people voting right next yr. Most of them were notified that they have membership after it was taken. out of the 300+ paper applications submitted on the last day(Nov 17th) 250 do not have valid signatures, phone no or email id.
The two elections were identical, who ever could mobilize the crowds won the battle both times.
I gave a deep thought & taking back my #2 and agree with Singareddy that elections should be held for all or none.
I think there will be a GBM in january.
I apologize. I completely missed this years situation. I was trying to see how we couuld make the voters a good 9 months. So march 31 deadline then? 9 months before voting right and 1 year to represent. I know it is too compliicated just a thought. I am sure we can find other loopholes and plug them.
To Dev...
1) At the time of jubilee yeear. Is there an election ? Did they do mass registrations by sponsering them , just to win TAMA.
Why are you bringing Jubilee year. Just to point a person whom you don't like.
And you very well part of a team which did massive registrations by sponsering . And it continueed next year by a team which NATS supported openly.
Is n't it the intention of owning TAMA or controlling TAMA ?
2) Good escaping answer ..No response .cool.
3) I agree they have to grown up. Will there be any rules in future ?
otherwise it will continue further.
An unblievable sufff..ruthless , shameful ...how come an emailid is created with the name of famous personality in ataltana and sending wrong meessages to the public , just to WIN TAMA.
Do these people have any morals. Tommorrow if some one creates an email with your name and sends a message , how do you feel.
5) Ok..tell to the public what he has done to the community. How come these people comment him in public .
Are you supporting them ? I thought you are a neutral person who don't support bad practices.
Why did these guys target only one or two persons?
Why not others? Is there a formula for it . You seem like you know the answer.
6) I take back my words...
I believe you are a volunteer . great .
But just be care ful ..just because you hate one group , don't embrass another group . Be calculated. I respect your work TAMA.I wish i would have seen you at the helm ...honestly.
Dear Devanand,
On Dec 6th there was posting from Atlanta Telugu Volunteers with the idea of ATS (Atalanta Telugu Sangam) in case Madhu's panel lose the elections. Were you behind that idea?
TAMA Wala,
We can have a discussion on this. I am sure you have my phone number. Please call me. Same goes to anyone. If not please tell your names openly here and we can discuss.
thanks
Dev.
I am none of those you are guessing and I don't have your number.
The blog post appears to be from NATS and the ATS name is symbolic, so asked. If you or NATS are not behind it leave the matter.
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