Added on May 19, 2010
As you aware, I was elected at the Dar-es-Salaam conference to be your district representative at the Council on Legislation which just took place at Chicago on the 25th to the 30th April, 2010. The alternate nominee choice was PDG Amir Somji. The Council Representative is basically “a member of parliament”. The district chooses one Past District Governor for the Rotary parliament which convenes once in three years in Chicago. There are a total of 531 Districts and therefore 531 MPs. In this instance the parliament was attended by 525 MPs, all RI Past Presidents, existing board of directors and trustees, board of directors elect and nominee and trustees of the Rotary Foundation. The event was held at the Marriot Hotel in Chicago and all the participants were accommodated in the same hotel where all the functions took place including COL parliamentary sessions. The COL was chaired by the Chairman and supported by a parliamentary committee and parliamentarians at large, besides the RI staff. Before the Council were 219 enactments and resolutions. Enactments & Resolutions Enactments are proposed laws to change the RI constitution and RI by-laws and the Standard Club Constitution and by-laws and resolutions of course are reflections of desire that are forwarded to the Board of Directors for consideration only and action if deemed appropriate. I am grateful to you for giving me to the opportunity represent you, particularly because, being a lawyer, it gave me an opportunity to have a professional input into my social life Logistically, there are over 6 languages that were spoken and infrared simultaneous translation equipment was available for all delegates. Voting was by electronic mode through a wireless gadget that every delegate was provided, again with infrared technology reflecting instant results on multiple large screens, Debate timings were controlled by “traffic lights on additional multiple TV screens I am attaching two documents. The first is a list of all the enactments and resolutions reflecting the status of adoption/rejection and also reflecting the voting pattern together with my own personal comments in respect of chosen issues to share with you the inside workings and also to share with you the personal position that I took in these matters (in red font) and offering reasons for the same. The second document is the official progress report copy pasted from the RI website. As you go through the list of enactments and resolutions, please note the enactments come into effect on the 1st July, 2010, whilst the resolutions don’t come into effect at all since they are subject addressed only to the board. To that extent the resolutions really are just to let you in into propositions and suggestions only, whilst the enactments are substantial law. The 2010 Manual of Procedure will include all the changes. On a personal level I fully participated in the process and the debates and was instrumental in the decision making in some instances.  COL 2010 Voting Results with supporting personal commentary by PDG Abdulhamid Aboo
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