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DCA’s Exclusive Commentary to the AfTLD PR following the Ghana Meeting

A Chameleonic exercise of shifting faces from a previously seeking an AU mandate to now of seeking an AU endorsement.

The DotConnectAfrica Organization (‘DCA’) feels compelled to respond to the recent press release by AfTLD following their Ghana meeting because of some innuendoes and veiled references to DCA made by some prominent participants in the same press release. http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/110 …

First, DCA’s concerted campaign against the “illegal proposal of awarding an unjustified mandate to AfTLD by the AU” has been again vindicated. This is against the backdrop that the DCA has already received the same endorsement from the AU more than one year ago. The position of the AfTLD and its backers is grossly untenable and very unjustified. This mandate can only be given by ICANN.

Second, DCA is not surprised by the attendance and list of attendees of the Ghana meeting, since it has become increasingly clear by the day that the most vocal voices and viewpoints expressed are the same forces that have arrayed themselves in vehement opposition to the DCA on the issue of DotAfrica.

Third, the meeting reinforced the widely shared belief that there is a dangerous nexus between a certain cabal within the AU Task Force on Dot Africa and the AfTLD – and this nexus has been established in order to disingenuously facilitate ‘insider’ help for AfTLD’s Expression of Interest to the AU and prospective bid to ICANN.

Therefore, before delving into particulars, the DCA hereby reiterates its unshakeable belief that AfTLD is not suited to operate DotAfrica, and would like to again stress the following:

1) DCA has no problem with any organization attempting to compete and win the DotAfrica gTLD mandate from ICANN based on rules of fair competition. DCA believes that any eligible organization is free to participate in an open and transparent bid process that is corruption-free.

2) In the same vein, DCA refuses to accept a situation whereby double-dealing and double-standards are being institutionalized to pave the way to enable AfTLD win an unfair endorsement from the AU on DotAfrica. AfTLD cannot maintain its credulity as a fair player whilst being an obvious beneficiary of illegality.

3) DCA frowns upon the fact that AU Task Force members on DotAfrica are also advisors and confederates of AfTLD. DCA believes that such affiliations are unwholesome and foster corruption, nepotism, abuse of office, and large-scale illegality.

4) DCA believes that the AfTLD can work independently of AU Task Force members on DotAfrica who are in its midst, and are both advising, and influencing matters on behalf of AfTLD.

5) DCA notes with a certain amusement, that even though there is nothing materially new that was revealed as an outcome of the Ghana meeting, however believes that sustained pressure based on truthful revelations by DCA has made the handlers and advisors of AfTLD to change their position, in a rather chameleonic way, from one of previously seeking an AU mandate to that of now seeking an AU endorsement.

All in all, the Ghana meeting could hardly be qualified as a successful outing, since nothing new came out of it. The meeting only exposes the fact that certain AU Task Force members connected to the Ghanaian government used it to garner dubious support of the Ghanaian Ministry of Communications for AfTLD to bid on DotAfrica.

DCA view is that this position is not only contradictory, but an unsolicited interference in the issue of the AU Commission endorsing a bidder to apply to ICANN for the DotAfrica registry mandate. It is already clear that the Ghanaian Minister of Communication is under the direct influence of, and is being controlled by, the same “special interest group” that has expressed a vested interest in assisting the AfTLD to win an illegal endorsement from the AU.

The Ghanaian Ministry of Communications has indeed lost a certain amount of credibility by allowing itself to be used as a willing tool to rubber-stamp an invidious scheme.

Thus, the DCA is consoled and strongly encouraged by the fact that the other participants at the Ghana meeting will not easily sway and lobby their governments to participate in the illegal activities of a Ghana-controlled vested interests’, that is being influenced to support AfTLD just to serve the purposes of a selfish cabal. People are not easily fooled, and African governments (excluding Ghana in this case) would be asking serious questions, and answers would be indeed wanting.

Finally, DCA hereby serves notice that it will frontally challenge any acts of illegality that are orchestrated by any affiliated AU Task Force members who use insider privileges and access to facilitate an illegal scheme that would grant AfTLD an AU endorsement.

Read Full Press Release http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs053/1102516344150/archive/1105453989773.html

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