MCAA Articles of the Association (AoA)

Dear Fernanda and fellow members,

This is regarding the changes proposed in the Articles of the Association.

I have several comments and wonder if the adoption process could be delayed to allow further discussion. I have several years of Board governance experience at several organizations and I am concerned about some of the changes that are being made. I recently led a working group for the Rotary Club of Sydney on the Policy and Governance Manual for the Executive Leadership - which was later approved and endorsed by the RCS Board in its Centenary year.

In summary, here are some cursory notes - obviously, a more detailed review of the proposed changes is warranted.

1. In Article 14, I will suggest including the electronic option "...via a registered mail sent to General Assembly and/or electronically". This should be changed throughout. In principle, several safeguards need to be observed to prevent the removal of member/s - to protect members. I would have also advised having a separate disciplinary committee independent of the board that may look at the merit of the case and can make appropriate recommendations to the Board. Besides, a redressal process needs to be developed that will provide appropriate safeguard to protect individual member/s which can be taken up by the disciplinary committee.

2. I am also concerned why sections on "Working Groups/Chapters" and "Data Protection" have been deleted? Deletion of these provisions may further erode rights and privileges. Instead, these sections could be further expanded and improved.

3. Has the document been vetted by an independent lawyer? Legal advice must be sought - if not done already. If done, this needs to be communicated.

BW

Sonu