In the spirit of enhancing our collective mission and upholding our shared values, this petition outlines a series of strategic reforms aimed at advancing transparency, governance, and democratic practices within the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS). These proposed changes, rooted in the insights and recommendations from our recent discussions, aim to foster a more inclusive and participatory environment, ensuring that every member’s voice is heard and respected.

1. Establishing the Internet as a Basic Right
   
   Constitutional Advocacy: BASIS should take a leading role in advocating for the recognition of the internet as a basic right. This initiative includes drafting a proposal within the next 30 days to be submitted to the government, advocating for the inclusion of the internet as an emergency service in the Bangladesh Constitution.
   
   
2. Enhance Transparency in Governance
   
   Board Meeting Documentation: It is proposed that all Board meeting discussions be documented and made accessible through the Member Portal. The existing features on the BASIS platform can effectively facilitate this process.
   
   Meeting Invitations: To promote broader participation, meeting invitations should be sent to all eligible members via email, ensuring inclusivity in discussions.
   
   Policy Discussions and Decision-Making: We recommend involving a wider group of members in policy discussions, both online and in person. The decision-making process should be revisited to clearly define the balance between unanimous decisions and majority rule, ensuring transparency and representativeness.
   
   Equal Access to Government Notifications: BASIS will ensure that all members, including those who have not renewed their membership, receive notifications regarding government funds, facilities, and tenders via email. This is to guarantee that all members have equal access to opportunities.
   
   Tender Notification and Consultant Independence: BASIS will establish a transparent system for tender, fund, and facilities notifications. The consultant responsible for managing tenders will not be the BASIS President. Instead, a separate and transparent consultant panel or cell will be established, ensuring that all members are informed of available opportunities. All facilities and opportunities will be equally accessible to all eligible members. If any member has concerns about specific clauses in a tender, fund, or facility that seem irrelevant or unfair, they may formally raise their concerns with BASIS. BASIS will negotiate these concerns transparently, allowing all members to view the negotiation process.
   
   Implementation Timeline: These reforms are designed for swift implementation within one month, ensuring a timely positive impact on our governance processes.
   
   
3. Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Committees
   Reconstitution of Committees: All current committees should be dissolved to pave the way for a more structured and transparent framework. Members and advisors will share a proposed format for the reconstitution of committees by August 30, 2024. The Executive Committee (EC) is expected to establish these new committees within two weeks.
   
   
4. Election Process Reforms
   
   Vote of Confidence System: A transparent system should be introduced to measure the vote of confidence in the current leadership, and it should be regularly updated to reflect the membership’s sentiments.
   
   Revised Election Format
   Abolition of Panel-Based Elections: To ensure BASIS remains a non-political, trade-focused organization, elections should be conducted without any panel or group banners, promoting a more democratic process.
   
   Independent Director Elections: Elections for Director positions should be conducted on an individual basis, independent of any panel-based format, encouraging a diversity of ideas and leadership styles.
   
   Separate Candidacy for Key Positions: The elections for President, Vice President, Director of Administration, and Director of Finance should be held separately, allowing for focused and independent selection processes for each position. This separation ensures that members can directly vote for these key leadership roles, reflecting a more deliberate and thoughtful approach to governance.
   
   Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Establishment Timeline: A call for an Annual General Meeting (AGM) should be issued to all members within the next 10 days to discuss and establish these proposed election reforms and executed within 20 days (From the AGM). This timeline ensures that these critical changes are implemented promptly, aligning with the collective will of the membership.

This petition reflects the collective support of the undersigned members of BASIS. We hope that the current Executive Committee will consider and provide a response to these recommendations by August 22, 2024. Following this response, we respectfully request that the Executive Committee take concrete action within the subsequent three weeks, with progress updates shared weekly with the membership.

Should there be no response or visible action by the stipulated deadlines, we would respectfully request that the current board consider stepping down to allow for new leadership that aligns with the collective vision of our members.