Once a Hindu converts, his loyalties too shift. Once a person is converted, his loyalty is to the Vatican. This means we lose one Hindu and gain an enemy in the bargain. Again let me make it clear, we have nothing against Christianity. We are just raising our voice against forcible conversion. The literature that some of these people are distributing puts other religions in a bad light.
M B Puranik, VHP (Karnataka) convenor (rediff.com)
(pl write sensibly!)
Pl read the complete draft below, given in 3 parts. Pl write your comments about them here.
Emalayalee will post its comments later.
PROPOSED DRAFT
CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF
FEDERATION OF MALAYALEE ASSOCIATIONS IN AMERICA (FOMAA), INC.
PREAMBLE
We the people of Kerala/Indian origin began migrating to the United States in the 1970’s. Since then, our number grew significantly, and we have become an identifiable community. Now it is our duty to become a vibrant community by serving our members as well as participating and contributing to the mainstream American life. And therefore, we constitute ourselves as a Federation of Malayalees and Kerala organizations/Associations for the service of our members, and all people in North America.
ARTICLE I
NAME, NATURE AND ADDRESS
1. The Name of the organization shall be Federation of Malayalee Associations of Americas, hereinafter referred to as the Federation and generally known as FOMAA.
2. The Federation shall be a registered non-profit, non-political, secular organization and shall operate under all the applicable Federal and State laws as a 501 (c) (3) corporation of the Internal Revenue Service Code.
3. The Post Office address of the President shall be the principal office of this Federation unless otherwise decided by the Executive Committee from term to term. The Federation may also have a Post Office Box address as decided by the Secretary from term to term.
4. The name and address of the resident agent for the state, where the corporation is registered shall be decided by the Executive Committee from term to term.
ARTICLE II
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the Federation shall be:
a. To organize and co-ordinate social, cultural and educational activities on national level for the benefit of its members;
b. To organize conventions of Malayalees;
c. To educate and encourage Malayalees to fulfill their civic responsibilities and political involvement.
d. To organize the youth of Kerala origin and provide them a social forum to experience and appreciate the richness of Kerala/Indian culture.
e. To take a leading role in propagating Malayalam language and Kerala culture in North America;
f. To organize and co-ordinate activities that will promote medical, social, and economic development of Kerala/India;
g. To foster understanding and friendship among various Indian organizations, especially Malayalee organizations, and coordinate activities of common interest;
h. To represent the interest of Kerala community in America and serve as its voice.
i. To solicit, raise funds and donations to carry out the above and other worthy humanitarian causes.
ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHIP
1. Categories of Membership. The Federation shall have the following four categories of members:
a. Organizations
b. Chapters
c. Affiliated Organizations
d. Individual Life Members
Each category of members receives membership in the Federation according to the provisions of these constitution and bylaws.
2. The above four categories f membership are defined as follows:
a. Organizations: A member of the Federation in this category shall be a non-political, secular and non-sectarian Keralite/Malayalee Association in America which is
incorporated as a non-profit organization under the applicable federal and state laws and has been operating at least for one year under a written constitution and/or bylaws, with at least 50 dues paying members.
b. Chapters: A member of the Federation in this category is a subsidiary of the Federation established by the Executive Committee as a chapter in geographical areas where the Federation does not have a Kerala Association as a member. There shall be at least twenty-five dues paying persons to start a chapter. The Executive Committee shall provide a model bylaw and technical start up assistance to the chapters as needed.
c. Affiliated Organizations: These are Malayalee/Keralite organizations (Professional, Regional, Alumni etc.) incorporated as a non profit organization operating on a national level at least for one year under a written constitution and by-laws.
d. Individual Members: Any person of Kerala origin legally residing in America, 18 years of age or above, is eligible to become an Individual member of the Federation.
3. Admission of Members:
a. All members are admitted to the Federation by the Executive Committee.
b. Application for membership shall be submitted to the Secretary of the Federation in prescribed form with appropriate membership fee.
c. The Executive committee shall make a decision about the initial applications for membership within six months from the receipt of the application.
4. Membership Fee:
a. The annual Membership fee for each category of members shall be as follows:
i) Organization Members – $100.00 (one hundred US dollars);
ii) Chapter Members – $100.00 (one hundred US dollars);
iii) Affiliated Members – $100.00 (one hundred US dollars)
iv) Individual Members – $1,000.00 (Thousand US dollars) for a 10 year
term.
b. The membership shall be valid from August 1st to July 31st of the following year for the first three categories of membership. Individual Membership is valid for 10 years from the date of admission ending on July 31st of the 10th year.
c. Membership fees are payable within ninety days from the beginning of the Federation’s fiscal year, August 1st. During this period, all the members of the previous year shall be considered as fully paid members. After this date, members’ voting rights may be suspended until the payment is received. The Treasurer shall send membership fee payment notices to all members on file and attempt to collect the fees during this period. Individual Membership fee shall be paid in full with application.
d. Members, and member organizations that have been admitted once and who have missed membership fee payments during any fiscal year, shall pay all the fees in arrears before full membership rights and privileges can be reinstated.
e. It shall be the responsibility of the members to notify the Secretary any changes to their address and phone number. Secretaries of member organizations shall also send in the names and addresses of delegates for the General Body meeting to reach the Secretary at least 15 days before the meeting.
5. Duties and Privileges of Membership:
a. All members of the Federation shall subscribe to the aims and objectives of the Federation and shall abide by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Federation.
b. Membership in good standing in the Federation entitles a member to participate in all the activities and privileges of the Federation.
c. In Accordance with the provisions in these constitution and bylaws a member becomes eligible to vote and to hold elected offices in the Federation.
6. Revocation of Members:
a. Membership of all categories may be revoked by the Executive Committee if an organization or individual has been found to be guilty of violating these constitution and bylaws or acting against the interests of this Federation. A two-week show cause notice shall be given before the commencement of this revocation process. Membership fee shall not be refunded if membership is revoked.
b. The affected member has the right to appeal to the Judicial Council.
ARTICLE IV
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
1. The organizational structure of the Federation on national level shall be as follows:
a. General Body
b. Board of Directors
c. Executive Committee
d. Judicial Council
ARTICLE V
GENERAL BODY
1. Nature: General Body is the supreme authority of the Federation. Its decisions are final. All members of the Federation shall have representation in the General Body of the Federation in accordance with the provisions of these constitution and bylaws.
2. Composition: The General Body shall consist of all the members of the Executive Committee, Board of Directors, and representatives of all categories of members, as follows:
i) An Organization Member shall have 5 representatives;
ii) A Chapter member shall have 3 representatives;
iii) An Affiliated Member shall have 2 representatives;
iv) Individual Members shall represent themselves in the General Body and shall have 1 full vote.
v) No proxy vote is allowed for any member of the General Body.
3. Meetings:
a. Regular Meetings: A regular meeting of the General Body shall be held at least once a year to transact the following:
i. Review the activities of the Federation;
ii. Adopt amendments to constitution and bylaws if there are any for which proper notice was given;
iii. Elect officers of the Federation if election is due;
iv. Review and approve annual budget and accounts of the Federation;
v. Address member concerns regarding the federation and decide on them if the item is properly included in the agenda;
vi. Transact all other business properly placed in the agenda of the meeting.
b. Special Meetings: The Executive Committee or the Board of Directors as and when these bodies deem necessary may convene special meeting of the General
Body. The body that convenes the meeting shall decide the place, time and notice for the special meeting.
4. Notice: A regular or special General Body meeting shall require thirty days notice either through E-mail or regular mail. For the regular or special General Body meeting the Secretary shall send the notices to all the members of the Federation in consultation with the president.
5. A quorum shall consist of 35% (thirty-five per cent) of the total membership of the General Body.
6. Voting at any meeting of the General Body shall be one vote per member present and voting.
ARTICLE VI
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
1. The Board of Directors shall consist of the Executive Committee of the Federation, the current presidents/designee and immediate past Presidents of all member organizations.
2. President of the Federation shall chair the meeting of Board of Directors. The Executive officers of the Federation shall be the officers of the Board of Directors.
3. The Board of Directors shall meet at least once a year in person and as often as the chairperson of the Board decides to have a meeting.
4. Special Meeting: The Board may hold special meeting at the request of twenty per cent of more of Board of Directors and the President shall oblige.
5. Notice: At least two weeks notice is required for regular meetings and one week notice, for Special Meetings. The secretary of the Federation and in his/her absence joint secretary shall give notices regarding Special Meetings.
6. Quorum for the meetings shall be 1/4 of the total membership of the board.
7. Duties: Long range planning and policy making is the most important duty of the Board of directors.
8. To approve and pass the audited accounts of the Federation for the previous term.
9. To approve the annual budget of the Federation.
10. The Board shall present its recommendation to the Executive Committee. Board of Directors shall be responsible for informing the Executive Committee and other Council members on their regional activities and acting as think tank to come up with plans to improve the qualify of life of Keralites in the United States and Kerala. They shall take part in providing general advice and general policy decision.
ARTICLE VII
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
2. The General Body shall elect an Executive Committee to manage the activities of the Federation in accordance with the provisions of these constitution and bylaws.
3. Composition: The Executive Committee shall consist of the following members elected by the General Body:
President
Executive Vice President
Secretary
Joint Secretary
Treasurer
Joint Treasurer
Eleven Regional Vice-Presidents
Nine Committee members who shall serve as the Chairpersons of Standing committees as appointed by the Executive committee. Immediate Past President and Secretary of the Federation Three youth members appointed by the Executive Committee
3. President, Secretary and Treasurer shall be the executive officers of the Federation.
4. Term:
a. All Executive Committee members shall hold office for approximately two years and/or until their successors are elected or appointed as the case may be and take charge.
b. An executive committee member elected by the general body shall not contest for the same position within ten years.
5. Vacancy: In the event of death, resignation, removal from office, or otherwise, the orders of succession shall be as follows:
a. The Executive Vice President shall succeed to the office of President.
b. All other vacancies shall be filled by the majority of the remaining members of the Executive Committee by appointment.
c. In the event of the nullification of the entire election, the most recent Executive
Committee shall exercise holdover powers and fill the vacancies by appointment until a General Body meeting is held. Meeting to fill such vacancies shall not require a quorum.
6. Duties and Responsibilities of the President:
a. The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Federation. He/she shall be an ex-officio member of all committees, shall see that orders and resolutions of the General Body and Executive Committee are carried out, and shall have all the powers and duties usually vested in the office of the President. The President shall be the coordinator and the controller of all the affairs of this Federation.
b. The President shall preside over all the meetings of General Body, Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and sign the minutes, reports and accounts presented in the meetings. The President shall have overall responsibility for the activities of all the committees.
c. The President shall obtain and present at the annual General Body meeting a Certificate of Good Standing for the Federation from the Corporate Charter Division of the State where the Federation is registered. The President shall be responsible for filing all the required reports including the Tax Returns with the Government Agencies. The President shall notify the Corporate Charter Division of the State any changes to the names and addresses of the principal office and resident agent.
d. The President shall be responsible to keep the Executive Vice President informed of all matters and is actively involved therein to the extent that, if necessary, he/she can assume the responsibilities of the President.
e. The President shall be responsible for corresponding with governmental Agencies, dignitaries, and Presidents of other similar organizations
f. The President as the Chief Executive Officer shall have the authority, with the consent of the Executive Committee, to employ individuals, consultants, and management personnel for conducting the work of the Federation as needed and contracting with outside entities to carry out the objectives of the Federation.
g. The President with the consent of the Executive Committee shall appoint a public relations officer from either the Executive Committee or outside as a volunteer or an employee. This Public Relations Officer shall be responsible for overseeing all communications regarding Federation’s programs, events and other public matters including but not limited to the newsletter and website and all other media and publications disseminated or sponsored by the Federation.
7. Duties and Responsibilities of Executive Vice-President: The Executive Vice President shall act in the place of the President in the absence or inability of the President. He/she shall perform such duties as may be assigned to him/her by the President, or the Executive Committee.
8. Duties and Responsibilities of Secretary:
a. Secretary shall attend all meetings of the Executive Committee and record all votes. He/she shall record or supervise the recording of the minutes of all proceedings in a book to be kept for that purpose.
b. He/she shall give, or cause to be given, notice of all meetings of the Executive Committee and General Body in consultation with the president. The Secretary shall
perform such other duties as may be required for the efficient and effective functioning of the Federation.
c. The Secretary shall control office work, carry on general correspondence and correspondence with members of the Federation, keep the minutes of the meetings and maintain records of businesses transacted. He/she shall arrange for Executive Committee meetings as and when required with the consent of the President by giving notice to the members as stated herein.
d. The Secretary shall make available to the President the records, books, etc. of the Federation as may be called upon by the President The Secretary shall be a coordinator of the special committees and sub-committees of this Federation.
9. Joint Secretary shall act in the place of the Secretary in the absence or inability of the Secretary. He/she shall also assume such other duties as may be assigned by the Executive Committee or the President.
10. Duties and Responsibilities of the Treasurer:
a. The Treasurer shall have general supervision over funds of the Federation and see that full and accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements are maintained that all funds and valuable assets belonging to the Federation shall be deposited in such depositories as may be designated by the Executive Committee and shall render whenever required, an accurate account of the financial condition of the Federation.
b. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the entire assets of this Federation. He/she shall report the financial position of the Federation to the Executive Committee and the General Body meetings.
c. The Treasurer shall keep proper accounts of all receipts and payments, keep inventory of all assets of the Federation. He shall present the statement of accounts to the annual General Body meetings.
d. The Treasurer shall make available necessary materials and information requested by auditors appointed by the Federation. He/she shall make available to the Executive Committee any information or records on the financial affairs of the Federation that may be called for.
e. The Treasurer only shall make all payments of the Federation. All fees, donations and articles received by the Federation shall be acknowledged with proper receipts.
f. The Treasurer shall send notice of membership dues to all members and collect such fees within three months from the beginning of the fiscal year. During this three-month period, the paid members of the previous year shall be considered as members.
However, in an election year all membership dues must be paid in order to participate in the election.
11. Joint Treasurer shall assist the Treasurer and perform such other duties as assigned by the Executive Committee or the President.
12. Duties and Responsibilities of Executive Committee members: Executive Committee Members shall assist the President and Secretary in coordinating regional and national activities and perform such other duties as assigned by the Executive Committee or the President.
13. Executive Committee has the right to remove from the office any Member of the executive committee who is absent for three consecutive committee meetings without sufficient cause.
Such vacancy shall be filled by the Executive Committee with a majority vote of the members present at the meeting.
14. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Executive Committee may be taken without such a meeting if a majority of members eligible to attend such meeting has signed and forwarded to the President or Secretary statements of consent to the contemplated action and the writings are filed with the minutes of proceedings of the Committee.
15. Members of any Committee may participate in a meeting of such Committee by means of teleconference or similar communications method by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear the Chairperson and such participation shall constitute a presence in person at such meeting. Decisions made at such meeting by a majority vote shall be considered as the decision of such Committee.
16. Meetings: The Executive Committee shall meet at least once in three months and as often as required at the call of the President.
17. Notice: The Executive Committee may be called into session with at least seven days mail notice or three days telephone notice.
18. Quorum: At any meetings of the Executive Committee, a majority of its members shall constitute a quorum to transact business.
19. Voting: Voting at any meeting of the Executive Committee shall be one vote for each member present notwithstanding the fact that such member may be present in more than one capacity.
A majority vote of those present shall be required for making decisions.
20. Each member of the Executive Committee shall act in good faith and in a manner reasonably believed to be in the Federation’s best interest, and with independent and informed judgment.
21. A member of the Executive Committee, who receives compensation directly or indirectly from the Federation for services, is precluded from voting on matters pertaining to that member’s service and compensation.
22. A member of the Executive Committee, who enters into a business transaction on behalf of the Federation with an outside entity, must disclose to the respective committee if any conflict of interests exists which will result in a less advantageous deal for the Federation.
ARTICLE VIII REGIONAL STRUCTURE
1. The Federation shall have the following regions a. New England Region – Maine Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut. b. New York Metro Region – New York City (five boroughs), Long Island, Nassau/Suffolk Counties.
c. New York Empire State – West Chester, Rockland, Putnam, Duchess Counties, Albany, Rochester, Buffalo. d. Mid Atlantic Region – Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware e. Capital Region -Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina.
f. South East Region – Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and South Carolina. g. Western Region – California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, North Dakota.
h. Central Region – Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa. i. Great Lake Region –Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota
j. Southern Region – Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. k. Canadian Region – Whole of Canada
2. Delegates each region attending the general body convened for general elections shall elect a regional vice presidents who will be a member of the executive committee. 3. Regions are encouraged to coordinate activities in their respective regions as well as jointly with adjacent regions.
ARTICLE IX
COMMITTEES 1. Standing Committees
The Federation shall have the following permanent standing committees each with chairpersons selected by the Executive Committee from its members. Chairperson each committee is authorized to appoint additional members with the approval of the Executive Committee. The chairpersons of these standing committees shall develop a plan for service when they take charge based on the committee’s mission description shown below: a. Credentials and bylaws: This committee will verify the qualifications of members to be admitted to the Federation and ensure that those who attend General Body meetings are duly authorized representatives. During the General Body meetings, they will assist the President in conducting the meetings in accordance with parliamentary procedures and assists members and the chairperson in drafting the resolutions for making smooth decisions. They will ensure that the provisions of the constitution and bylaws are complied with at all times and recommend amendments to the bylaw as needed.
b. Finance: This committee will review the work of the Treasurer and continuously monitor the financial situation of the Federation and draft accounting procedures as needed. It will ensure that accounts are audited in a timely fashion by the Audit Committee; and bylaw provisions relating to financial transactions are complied with. The chairman shall obtain and present at the annual General Body meeting a Certificate of Good Standing for the Federation from the Corporate Charter Division of the State where the Federation is registered. The committee shall be responsible for filing all the required financial reports including the Tax Returns with the Government Agencies and ensuring the 501 C (3) status is maintained. c. Fund Raising: This committee will continuously seek ways and means of raising funds for the activities of the Federation including conducting fund raising programs, contracting with outside fund raisers to generate fund and devise other methods in generating income. They will continuously solicit corporate and other sponsors for Federation activities; seek contributions from state charity campaigns; and apply for eligible government grants.
d. Civic and Political Affairs: The primary responsibility of this committee will be to direct the attention of the Executive Committee to the need to be politically involved in each community and develop civic awareness and conduct voter registration drives. The committee shall also conduct educational seminars to improve the knowledge of the community with regard to the American system. The committee shall also monitor Kerala, India, and United States’ major events and pending legislative changes and alert the Executive Committee with recommended actions if any needed to protect the interests of the community the Federation serves. e. Charities and Social Service: The committee will develop a plan for caring for the needy in Kerala and in the United States and establish criteria for distribution of available assistance in the most equitable manner to serve the people deserving the most help.
f. Youth Affairs: This committee shall ensure that there are forums for the youth of Keralite families to voice their concerns and interact with other youth. Programs shall be developed to attract the youth to the activities sponsored or coordinated by the Federation and keep the youth interested in such activities and thereby instill a sense of cultural pride in them and appreciation for the many good aspects Kerala culture while encouraging them to shun the negative elements of Kerala culture. g. Member Relations: This committee will work closely with the membership of the Federation, identify their needs, concerns and talents and report the same to the Executive Committee. The chairman of this committee will help the Secretary and Treasurer in updating the changes in the leadership of all the Kerala Associations.
h. Membership: The primary mission of this committee shall be to increase and retain individual members and attend to their concerns. The membership committee shall be responsible to maintain the database of individual members of the Federation and assist the Secretary and Treasurer and other committees by furnishing the membership information in a timely manner. This committee shall also conduct membership drives by attending organization events and distributing flyers.
i. Language and Education: This committee will coordinate activities pertaining to Malayalam teaching and promotion of Malayalam literature. 2. Sub-Committees
a. The Executive Committee is authorized to form additional sub-committees as and when required, in its judgment, to efficiently carry out the functions of the Federation b. The sub-committee shall be directly responsible to the Executive Committee and President for all its actions.
c. The Chairperson of the sub-committees shall convene and conduct its meetings as and when needed. d. The sub-committee may co-opt members with the approval of the executive committee
ARTICLE X
CONVENTIONS 1. General Provisions
a. The Federation is authorized to hold bi-annual International Conventions, Regional conventions and other Conferences. b. The chairperson of the bi-annual international convention and other national or international conventions/conferences shall be appointed by the Executive Committee. c. The convention committees shall work in coordination with Executive Committee. d. The Executive Committee shall approve the budget for the conventions.
e. The Chairperson of the convention shall have the right to form convention committee in consultation with the Executive Committee. 2. International Conventions
Bi-annual International Convention of Malayalees shall be one of the major activities of the Federation.
ARTICLE XI FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION
1. Collection of Funds a. The Federation shall have the right to use any and every lawful means befitting its not profit status in raising funds.
b. No one shall solicit funds for the Federation unless authorized by the Executive Committee. c. All funds received by the treasurer shall be deposited into the Federation’s account(s) within 10 (ten) working days.
d. Any money collected by authorized persons on behalf of the Federation shall be forwarded to the treasurer within 10 (ten) working days. 2. Disbursements
All disbursements of money shall be through the Treasurer of the Federation with proper authorization according to these by-laws. 3. General Account:
a. General Account: the Federation shall open and operate a joint bank account for its daily operation, in any commercial bank or savings and loan association in the United States of America. Signatories in this account shall be the President Secretary and Treasurer and they shall use the Federal ID number issued to the Federation. Signatures of the treasurer and either of the other signatories are required for all withdrawals. b. Any payments in excess of $1,000 up to a maximum of $5,000 shall be made only with
approval of the Executive officers. All Payments over $5,000 shall have the approval of the Executive Committee. c. The Federation shall not maintain separate account(s) for its project(s)/activities, except in the case of national/international conventions/conferences. Any amount designated for a special purpose shall be separately accounted under suitable sub-headings.
d. The individual Membership feed collected shall be deposited in an insured interest bearing savings account. The executive officers can draw only interest and ten per cent of the principal annually.
5. Budgets Executive Committee shall prepare and submit the annual budget of the Federation for approval in a General Body meeting.
Prior to submission of general budget, each standing committee shall prepare its own budget and submit to the Executive Committee for approval and incorporation into the general budget. To operate within the budget is a grave responsibility of the Executive Committee during the term.
Expenses beyond the total budgeted amount shall be the individual and collective responsibility of the elected executive committee members. 6. Auditing
General Body shall form an audit committee and appoint a chairperson for a term of two years preferably with accounting experience who shall audit the Federation accounts at least once a year. He/She shall have authority to co-opt two additional members to the committee in consultation with the Executive committee for the concurrent term.
Audited financial statements by qualified person/persons must be presented in a General Body meeting each year, and it may be published in the official publication of the Federation. 7. Reimbursements:
Any official of the Federation who incurs authorized expenses for the Federation shall submit request for reimbursement along with proper receipts. Proper vouchers of receipts must be signed by the recipient and filed by the treasurer. 8. Fiscal Year
The fiscal year of the Federation shall be from August 1st to July 31st to be in line with the activities of the Federation.
ARTICLE XII
JUDICIAL COUNCIL
1. The Board of Directors shall select and appoint five members of the Federation, who shall not otherwise be members of the current Executive Committee or Board of Directors, to serve as members of Judicial Council.
2. In the event of a dispute among members of the Federation about the results of any election conducted by the General Council pursuant to these Constitution and Bylaws, or a dispute among members of the Federation about any action taken by the Executive Committee or Board of Directors which cannot be resolved by that body acting under the Constitution and Bylaws by majority vote of such body a quorum being present, such dispute shall be referred to the Judicial Council for resolution.
3. The Judicial Council shall have the authority to adopt its own rules of procedure for the resolution of disputes, subject to the provisions of the Constitution and Bylaws. Judicial Council has the authority to intervene in a crisis of the Federation. Any intentional act of individuals to damage the reputation of the Federation or its current or past officials must be discussed and addressed.
4. Judicial Council shall be an independent entity of five members appointed by the board of Directors.
5. In the event of a dispute among members about the results of any election conducted by the General Body or a dispute arising from any action taken by the Executive Committee which cannot be resolved by that body, such dispute shall be referred to the Judicial Council for resolution.
6. Judicial Council shall remain an independent entity and shall report its decision to the Executive Committee and General Body.
7. The council shall undertake investigations if allegations are made that warrant such investigation and also shall seek the help of private agencies in conducting such investigations.
8. Any intentional act of individuals to damage the reputation of the Federation or its current or past officials shall be investigated and acted upon by the Judicial Council and appropriate disciplinary actions shall be taken including the commencement of legal proceedings against the parties causing such damage.
9. The quorum for any meeting of the Judicial Council shall be three out of five.
10. The term of the Judicial Council shall be four years; but for the first time this body is established, for a term of three years. In the first meeting of the Judicial Council, Chairman, Vice Chairman and Secretary shall be elected. Majority shall constitute a quorum.
11. Decision of disciplinary action decisions by the Judicial Council shall require three out of five votes.
12. The decision of the Judicial Council with respect to any dispute shall be binding on the Federation and on all of its members. However, in the event there is disagreement regarding the decision of the Judicial council the affected party/parties shall have the right to appeal to the general body which will discuss the matter in its next regularly scheduled meeting; and the decision of the general body shall be final.
ARTICLE XIV
ELECTION PROCEDURES
1. Election Commission
a. The Board of Directors shall appoint a three member Election Commission with a designated Chairperson at least three months prior to the meeting of the General Body for election.
b. The Election Commission Chairperson shall invite nominations by sending letters to the members, and may post announcements through the news media, for the positions being elected at least sixty days prior to the meeting of the General Body with instructions.
c. Nominations in the prescribed form along with nomination fee shall be filed at least forty-five days prior to the meeting of the Election. Nominations of individual members shall be endorsed by two members; and nominations from an organization or chapter member of the Federation shall be endorsed by the president and secretary of the organization or the chapter member to which the nominee belongs.
d. The Election Committee shall announce the names of the nominees and their offices at least twenty days prior to the General Elections.
e. The Chairperson of the Election Commission shall call for nominations from the floor of the General Body provided there is no nomination for a position..
f. The person nominated shall be a member in good standing, eligible to participate and vote at the meeting of the General Body.
g. The candidates for the position of President and Secretary shall have demonstrated leadership skills by having served as President or Secretary of other similar community organizations or held managerial positions in business or other establishments.
h. The Chairperson of the Election Committee shall submit the names of the nominees to the meeting of the General Body and once nominations are closed, supervise the election in accordance with additional procedures decided by the Executive Committee from time to time.
i. Elections for positions that have more than one contestant shall be conducted by use of secret ballots.
j. The election Commission shall be jointly responsible to take measures to insure that the
election is conducted in a fair and democratic manner. The candidates qualified and receiving the highest number of votes shall be reported to the General Body meeting as winners by the Chairperson of the election Commission. The result of the elections certified by the Election Commission shall be presented to the President of the Board for declaration.
k. The outgoing Office Bearers shall turn over all balance of funds, assets, minutes of meetings, Secretary’s report, Treasurer’s report, and all other documents of the Federation to the incoming Office Bearers within thirty days following the elections and transfer of power.
ARTICLE XVI
AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
1. The provisions of this Bylaw may be amended, or suspended in case of an emergency, by the General Body at any regular or special General Body meeting provided written notice of the proposed amendment or suspension with details has been mailed to all General Body members not later than fifteen days prior to such meeting.
2. An affirmative vote of a majority of two-third of the members present at such meeting shall constitute adoption of the proposed amendments, or suspension.
ARTICLE XVII
PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURES
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order on Parliamentary Procedures shall govern this Federation in all cases including but not limited to the conducting of meetings held by the General Body, the Executive Committee or any other committee established by or pursuant to this Bylaw and to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with this Bylaw and any special rules of order the Federation may adopt.
ARTICLE XIX
DISSOLUTION OF THE FEDERATION
1. A resolution to dissolve the federation shall be carried by two-thirds majority of the total members of the General Body.
2. In the event of the dissolution of the Federation, after paying or providing for payment of all liabilities, dispose of all the assets to organization/s of similar nature in accordance with the provisions of applicable law.
Dr.BABUSUSEELAN
Christian missionaries in India enjoyed much support from European Christian colonial masters who controlled the political, economic and educational institutions for centuries, to 1947. With the active support of the European Christian colonialists, missionaries founded churches, large scale political organizations, and educational institution. Even after independence, political parties handed over Christians an influential position in India. Leaders of the Church became key advisers and also exercised political, economic, and educational functions as government leaders. They have penetrated and controlled several national institutions that were taking shape after independence. Christians have created the press, economic institutions, commercial enterprises, as well as grabbed urban and forestland, established non-governmental organizations, schools, colleges and formed political parties. Coercive and deceptive conversion of Hindus increased the number of Christians which reshaped several states. No wonder that from the beginnings of 1950’s political Christianity made all the political, economic and educational decisions and controlled everything. Hindus could scarcely make their way in education, media and commerce. Political Christianity formed a special clique, finding their ideal in real estate, education, health industry, media, plantation and commerce. They operated in theory, that Christians should be strategically placed in policy decision bodies. The Church built large estates, business enterprises, banks, and educational institutions. Political Christianity in India maintains that Christians had first to constitute an appropriately divided Hindu society of classes. This they would accomplish only when they formed caste based organizations and regional political parties. Then Hindus would continue their class division and the Church would accomplish their goal. Historically, political, cultural, and economic Christianity had in common a sense of competition with Hinduism. Christians dismiss Hindu spiritual and cultural traditions. The Church clearly intent on liberating Hindus from their cultural roots and enslave them with rigid, closed, divisive and linear Christian dogma. Missionaries with the closed, rigid and non-compromising dogma are obsessed with the idea of converting Hindus who believe in pluralism, tolerance and the all inclusive Vedic philosophy. Comprehensive and spiritual Vedic thought has always posed a serious challenge and dilemma for the Christian Church. For centuries, unable to challenge the broader and systemic Hindu philosophy, Christian missionaries have resorted to deceptive mind manipulation strategies to trap and convert Hindus.
Pseudo Political leaders and India’s alienated intellectuals failed to provide pride and dignity to Hindus and they despise and demean them. Political parties and secular leaders allowed Christians not only to influence government policies, but also tolerated their attack on Hindu spiritual practices. This political patronage enabled Christians to exercise an influential anti Hindu role in public life and in government.
The power of the Church in India is enormous. Massive inflow of foreign fund helped the Church to influence the media, own large tracts of urban and forestland, control political parties, as well as own commercial and educational institutions. Their explicit purpose, among other things, is to stop Hindu consolidation and get them to fight on caste lines. In order to solidify their growing hegemony, Christians have made alliance with the Congress party, the Marxists, and regional parties as well as with parochial organizations.
The explosive effect of this unholy alliance can be gauged by the emergence of Christian power in central and several state governments. Control of educational institutions, trade, plantation and real estate brought wealth to Christians in ways Christians had never known. All the while, Christian organizations received massive amounts from abroad for conversion activities.
Christian conquests are more and more commercial and less spiritual. Well-established business, trade and commerce proved better, more wealth producing mode of occupation than spirituality. Concurrent with commercial success, the Church with the help of foreign fund elevated the role of political interference with absolute control of government in many states. Political influence of Christians in India marked the modern scene to an extent unknown before.
DECEPTIVE PRACTICES OF EVANGELICAL MISSIONARIES
One of the more alarming trends in India in recent years is the growing number of evangelical Christian organizations. This growth has been accompanied by an astonishing increase in Christian missionary activities which target Hindus for conversion. Well over 3,000 missionary groups which obsessed to convert Hindus spend over a billion dollar each year for conversion work in India. Evangelical Christian groups sponsor hundreds of full-time missionaries. They also sponsor television and radio programs. Missionaries have sponsored thousands of non-governmental organizations for overt and covert activities for furthering Christian causes.
These evangelical Christians use deceptive tactics to attract secular Hindus, journalists, academicians and westernized intellectuals. Evangelical missionary groups use Hindu names for their organizations to attract and trap innocent Hindus. They frequently misquote, mistranslate and misrepresent Hindu scripture and texts in order to use it as a bait and switch game. Evangelical missionaries are specially trained in mental misdirection and psychological war. They know well how to conceal, camouflage, and distortion of reality and power play. This deceptive game involves getting Hindus to trust, like, and feel comfortable with their bait and switch game, so they will want Hindus to do what they want to do. They use sophisticated psycho programming for softening people up for the kill. Like most power plays, softening people up for the kill is dangerous. It is not transparent enough for Hindus to see through and choose not to say to buy into it.
MISSIONARY AGENDA WE SEE; AGENDAS WE DON’T
Evangelical Christian organizations advertise under the heading of Human Rights, Dalit Organizations, Solidarity movements of the oppressed, Environmental Protection groups and social service agencies. Their goal is to mentally misdirect Hindus, to fabricate false reality, erase memory, and soften them for “thought implant”.
Pamphleteering and false advertisement of evangelist Christians are on the increase. There is an upsurge in Christian pamphlets being distributed at Hindu festivals, temples and sacred places of pilgrimage. Missionary groups aggressively distribute Christian publications to denigrate Hindu deities at Sabarimala, Thirupathi, Guruvayoor, Ujjain, Benares, Palani, Uduppi, and Sivagiri where Hindus congregate in large numbers.
In addition, missionary groups employ scare tactics, intimidation and violence to discourage and prevent Hindus from organizing protest against deceptive conversion tactics. Evangelical missionary groups engage in a variety of relatively benign deceptions intent to leave secular Hindus with a more positive impression on them. The real purpose for engaging in hidden agenda power plays is conversion of innocent Hindus. Hidden agendas, psycho programming and mind manipulation techniques are used to entice unsuspecting Hindus. The secret they keep from others and the camouflage they use to disguise their true intentions has dangerous consequences for Hindu society. Beneath the polished exterior of Christian educational institutions lies a burgeoning political and cultural war machine that strikes at the traditional spiritual values of India.
EVANGELICAL CHRISITIAN CULTURE WARRIORS
The Christian missionaries have already infiltrated religious organizations, media, social agencies, political parties and institutions of higher learning and threaten to bring down Hindu society. They continue to poison our cultural tradition, moral values, spiritual beliefs, and thus destroy the social fabric of our nation from within. It is a massive culture war which has disastrous consequences for Hindus and India. Their game plan is to misdirect Hindus and delegitimize Hinduism by claiming that Christianity is the only path to salvation.
Several missionary organizations disguise as human rights and social service organizations. In fact, they fraudulently represent themselves as human right and social activists, and these so-called human right and social service organizations are elaborately disguised Christian front organizations. Most of these non-governmental organizations that receive foreign fund exhibit “messiah madness” and manifest a great sense of urgency to convert as many Hindus as possible for creating a Christian vote bank.
Recent Christian violence in Orissa, Bihar, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are perfect example of the deceptive practices used by evangelical proselytizing groups. There are at least 500 Christian proselytizing organizations that operate with foreign fund in Orissa and Bihar alone, which are actively targeting Hindus for conversion. Recently deceptive and aggressive conversion efforts have led to escalating tension throughout Bihar.
FACING THE EVANGELICAL CULTURE WAR
Incredibly, many of the evangelical Christian aggression are the direct result of certain government policies to appease Christians. Policies of Christian and Muslim reservation, quota system and special privileges are in fact, effective in promoting mischievous Christian power play and aggressive conversion tactics.
There has been an ominously deafening silence from secular political leadership at all levels. This silence itself is complicit in creating a favorable atmosphere for Christian conversion groups. Phony secular leaders engage in ineffective maneuvers to maintain the status quo and avoid unpleasant thoughts to the back of their minds because thinking about deceptive missionary conversion practices only make matters worse. Consequently, what they do in the name of maintaining equilibrium only deceive them. It is a self-defeating behavior that may lead to disaster.
Most frightening are the bogus intellectuals, journalists and alienated intellectuals and armchair academicians, who at the helm of this Christian invasion, try to force insidious and deeply harmful Christian dogma upon the throats of Hindus under the name of mindless universalism. These pseudo secular leaders smug their attitudes as they ridicule us of our spiritual values.
DEFEATING THE ENEMY
As Hindus face the ongoing deceptive conversion gang and their sponsors around the world, we must cope with the continuing scourge of denial, accommodation and cowardice. Hindus need to recognize the dangers of putting our faith in mindless universalism-when the times call for decisive action. For only through strong defense of our spiritual culture, freedom at home and abroad, can we preserve, practice and promote our tolerant and all inclusive thought system in the dangerous world.
Hindus must exercise constant vigilance to educate about the true nature of the hidden agendas of Christian groups and non-governmental organizations funded and directed by foreign agencies. Their mission is couched in ecclesiastical terms but their ulterior motive is to diminish Hindu population by coercive conversion.
Hindus must be aware that the value of free speech and the basic right to free expression is not absolute under the Indian constitution. Hindus have the right to oppose Christian hate speech and deceptive practices that deem offensive. Awareness, education and assertive protest seem to be the best way of confronting deceptive missionary proselytizing. Teaching and informing Hindus that Hindus need not believe in the Christian dogma, not to tolerate intolerant and deceptive conversion practices and Christian churches are to deceive the Hindu community are important first steps.
Though many political and community leaders have sought economic development and social reform, particularly globalization, they have generally been unwilling to see the power play and hidden agendas of the Churches. One key to the success of evangelical Christian deceptive conversion is that Hindus tolerate the hidden agendas and sinister games of the missionaries. The trouble with tolerating coercive religious conversion, of course, is that while we’re averting our eyes, the evangelists grows and festers around India. Their goal is political domination and this has been true for the past few centuries.
Indeed, the greatest threat to our nation is Christian and Muslim appeasement policies-and selfish opportunism-of the pseudo secular politicians. The Congress party, the Marxists and several parochial regional parties are ideologically inclined toward appeasement and special privileges for Christians and Muslims. These corrupt, antinational political parties dismiss or understate hidden agendas of evangelists. And of course, rather than containing or confronting political agendas of the missionary groups, they acquiesce with them.
Hindus can no longer afford to remain silent or passive when Hindus encounter Christian bigotry and hatred. The consequences of silence and passivism are too dangerous for our nation and for the Hindu civilization. We must not surrender the public arena to the forces that seek to promote hatred and polarization amongst various communities in our nation. Deceptive evangelical missionary conversion tactics must be actively resisted and responded to so that such hidden hatred and subversive plan become totally unacceptable in our country.
If unchallenged and unchecked, coercive religious conversion can erode and destroy our spiritual tradition, dismantle our social fabric and destroy our moral foundation. Every Christian statement is a deliberate attack on the pluralistic and spiritual tradition of our society and on our sacred values that demand respect, tolerance, and kindness for all who live in the world.
Hindu organizations must see diverse Hindus as a people with a vision not of what was, but of what in order to be. Hindu leaders must take that vision and transform into fact. Hindus must now break the wall of denial. No way around it. At some point, every Hindu is confronted with danger of deceptive conversion ploys. How we choose to combat that challenge is often life-defining. Hindus can face injustice and fraudulent conversion plans head-on or run from them, or ignores them until they consume every Hindu. But no one escapes conflict and confrontation. Hypocritical politicians see no evil in deceptive evangelical missionary practices, ever seek or act against it. These pseudo secular politicians who do not acknowledge evil are spiritually lost.
Tolerance, complacency, avoidance, apathy and acquiesce of deceptive missionary practices will not lead to spirituality. It leads to confusion, chaos and immorality. Only by ignoring evil practices can a nation embrace deviance that ends in weakness and decadence.
It is time for Hindus to wake up, join together and show courage and determination to discriminate between good and evil to create a strong nation. It is a culture war, a paradigm conflict. It is a political invasion from within. It is a bloodless war for the minds, hearts, and souls of Hindus. It is being waged with force, foreign fund and deception on our television, in the class rooms, in the media and in the political fields. It is a constant and continuing war on our spiritual values in order to weaken our nation. We must stand up and take sides in this war for the minds
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Christian Misinformation Campaign
Christian misinformation as part of their psychological warfare against Hindus is rampant on a global scale. Few days ago, Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) aired a Christian orchastered attack against a shanty Church prepared specially for the purpose. One Sajan George blamed the destruction on to BJP, VHP, Bjarang Dal and RSS. The pictures were clearly visible and evident that the attack was orcharastered for western propaganda. Christians with the help of Indian converted Christians and their cohorts working for few Christian breadcrumbs are colluding with psychological war operations experts to malign Hindus and tarnish Hindu organizations. Pamphlets and booklets are prepared and distributed during Hindu pilgrim season and near Hindu temples to ridicule Hindy Gods and festivals. Indian Embassy in foreign countries turn a blind eye to these propaganda orchestrated by converted Indian Christians and their foreign agents. Since Christians are no match for the open ended, all inclusive, tolerant Hindutva, they are turning to low level, well planned and psychological warfare to attack and malign Hindus. Hindus need to design an effective shield against psychological operations. Media is paid to work as handmaiden to these inimical forces in India.
Evangelization and subversion of states
http://dharma1.blogspot.com/2008/09/evangelization-and-destabilisation-of.html
Three reports:
1. Seven hundred plans to evangelize the world
2. Ram Swarup’s expose of Christism
3. Robert Kaplan’s idea of bringing in Baptists and other missionaries to subvert the Burmese state
