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Nominee for 2021 Python Software Foundation Board Election

Iqbal Abdullah

  • Previous Board Service: New board member
  • Employer: Xoxzo Inc.
  • Other Affiliations: PyCon JP, PyCon APAC, PSF Trademarks WG, PSF Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) WG
  • Nominee Statement:

      My name is Iqbal Abdullah. I am a Malaysian, based in Japan and have been actively participating with the Python communities around the East Asia and South East Asia region.

      Other than coordinating effort and bridging knowledge between the different community leaders within the E/SE Asia region, as part of my community work I am currently part of the PSF Trademarks Working Group helping out to answer questions and solve issues concerning usage and protecting the intellectual properties of the PSF.

      In 2020, I stood up for nomination for the first time as a director of the PSF. The experience of going through the election process and the proceeding result have given me clarity in what I believe the PSF specifically and the Python community in general would need, which I have written in a blog post here.

      Directly as a result of the election in 2020, the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Working Group was formed headed by Marlene which I am also currently a member.

      My experiences during the 2020 election and the overall theme being carried over to the D&I Working Group will be my overarching goal and Key Impact Index (KII), if elected, as a director for the next 3 years:

      My primary objective during my term as a director is to increase recognition for and participation from the many diverse regional communities, specifically in the East Asia, South East Asia and South Asia in the Python community, be it within the directorships, Fellowship Program, Working Groups, technical/non-technical contribution in python projects, local and regional PyCon or meetups, and most importantly, the PSF memberships.

      My secondary objective is to help increase financial contribution from non-US/non-Western European sources, be it from companies based in these regions or from community led sources. With increased awareness, participation and dialog between the PSF and the wider world wide community, having a financial connection to the PSF by these communities will further increase the sense of commitment and ownership to the PSF by the worldwide community of Pythonistas.

      To achieve the above objectives, there are three important steps which needs to be done:

      • We need to first know who the people we're talking to: by understanding the different regions they are in and how they perceive the PSF and how they are using Python and how they think the PSF can help them
      • Second, is to explain to them in their language as much as possible, what the PSF does, how the PSF can help them and convince them to join the PSF as a member or at least contribute their time and effort to a local community closer to home.
      • Third, is to have a way to measure our impact. This will involve collecting at least the country, regional and language data among others, of the people or groups that we interact with and have a way to consolidate and visualize them. This third step will be important so that our diversity and inclusion efforts can be reported back to the community regularly and be made an ongoing effort.

      I will also work together closely with our friends in the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group and through their connections to other communities in Latin America and the African continent, try to increase participation from these communities too.

      Finally, if you've read this far down, I hope you now, like me, also feel the need for a stronger acknowledgment to a stronger diversified Python community worldwide. I would like to invite you to also support the nominations and vote for other candidates that are from our Diversity & Inclusion Work Group. We all share the same aspirations and objectives, and all of us are leaders within our community.

      Thank you.

      =====================================

      日本語でお読みになる皆様へ、

      私はイクバル・アバドゥラと申します。日本を拠点とするマレーシア人であり、東アジアおよび東南アジア地域のPythonコミュニティに積極的に参加しています。現在のコミュニティ活動としては、PSF商標ワーキンググループの一員として、PSFの使用法と知的財産の保護に関して、質問に対する回答をしたり問題解決のサポートを行ったりしています。

      2020年に初めて、PSFのディレクターとしてノミネーションの候補になりましたこちらのブログに記したように、選挙プロセスを経た経験とその結果から、PSFと一般的なPythonコミュニティが、特に必要としているものが明確になりました。 2020年の選挙の結果、私も一員であるMarleneが率いるダイバーシティとインクルージョン(D&I)ワーキンググループが結成されました。2020年の選挙経験とD&Iワーキンググループに引き継がれる全体的なテーマが私の包括的な目標であり、理事に選出されれば、今後3年間の Key Impact Index(KII)となります。

      在任中、私の一番の目標は、ディレクターシップ、フェローシッププログラム、ワーキンググループ、Pythonプロジェクトでの技術的/非技術的な貢献、ローカルおよび地域のPyConまたはミートアップ、そして最も重要なPSFメンバーシップ内における、特に東アジア、南東アジア、南アジアの多くの多様な地域コミュニティでの、認識の向上と、参加の増進です。

      二番目の目標は、こういった地域に拠点を置く企業からであれ、コミュニティ主導の財源からであれ、米国/西ヨーロッパ以外のからの財政的支援の増加をサポートすることです。PSFと世界規模のコミュニティとの間の認識や、参加、対話が増えるにつれ、こうしたコミュニティによるPSFへの経済的なつながりや、Pythonistasの世界的なコミュニティのPSFへの結束意識がさらに高まると考えますが、これを達成するために、3つの重要なステップを実行する必要があります。

      • 第一に、対話対象について、それぞれの居住地域について、それかPSFについての認識、また、Pythonをどのように使用しているか、さらに、PSFに期待しているサポートの内容を理解することです。
      • 第二に、可能な限り相手の言語で、PSFが何をするのか、PSFがどのようにサポートを行い、メンバーとしてPSFに参加したり、少なくとも、居住地域に近いコミュニティーへ時間と労力をを傾けてもらえるようにすることです。
      • 第三に、私たちの与える影響を測定する方法を持っておくことです。 このためには、私たちが交流し統合して、視覚化する手段がある人々またはグループについて、最低限でも国、地域、および言語のデータを収集するということです。この3番目のステップは、ダイバーシティとインクルージョンの取り組みを、定期的にコミュニティに報告し、取り組みを続けるためにも重要なことであると考えています。

      また、ダイバーシティ&インクルージョン ワーキンググループのメンバーと緊密に協力し、ラテンアメリカやアフリカ大陸の他のコミュニティとのつながりを通して、こういった地域のコミュニティの参加を増やしていけるよう努めます。世界中の、より強力で、より多様化したPythonコミュニティへの、さらに強い認容の必要性を、私と共感していただければ嬉しく思います。 また、ダイバーシティ&インクルージョンワーキンググループからの他の候補者についても、推薦をサポートして投票していただけますようお願いいたします。私たちは皆、同様の志と目的を共有しており、コミュニティ内の全員が、全員のリーダーであると考えています。

      よろしくお願いいたします。

      =====================================

      Untuk mereka yang ingin membaca dalam Bahasa Melayu,

      Nama saya Iqbal Abdullah. Saya orang Malaysia, yang bermastautin di Jepun dan telah mengambil bahagian secara aktif bersama komuniti Python di sekitar kawasan Asia Timur dan Asia Tenggara.

      Selain daripada menyelaraskan usaha dan merapatkan pengetahuan antara pemimpin komuniti yang berlainan di rantau Asia Tenggara, sebagai sebahagian daripada kerja komuniti saya, saya kini merupakan sebahagian daripada PSF Trademarks Working Group yang membantu menjawab soalan dan membantu menyelesaikan isu mengenai penggunaan dan melindungi harta intelektual PSF.

      Pada tahun 2020, saya mencalonkan diri untuk pertama kalinya sebagai pengarah PSF. Pengalaman melalui proses pemilihan dan hasilnya memberi matalamat yang lebih jelas mengenai apa yang saya percaya PSF secara khusus dan masyarakat Python secara amnya perlukan, yang telah saya tulis dalam catatan blog di sini

      Secara langsung sebagai hasil pilihan raya pada tahun 2020, Kumpulan Kerja Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Working Group dibentuk dan diketuai oleh Marlene yang kini saya juga menjadi seorang ahli.

      Pengalaman saya semasa pilihan raya 2020 dan tema keseluruhan yang dibawa ke Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Working Group akan menjadi matlamat utama saya dan Key Impact Index (KII), jika terpilih, sebagai pengarah untuk 3 tahun akan datang:

      Objektif utama saya selama saya berkhidmat sebagai pengarah adalah untuk meningkatkan pengiktirafan dan penyertaan dari pelbagai komuniti serantau, khususnya di Asia Timur, Asia Tenggara dan Asia Selatan dalam komuniti Python, baik sebagai pengarah, penyertaan dalam Fellowship Program, Working Group, sumbangan teknikal/bukan teknikal dalam projek-projek Python, PyCon atau meetups tempatan dan serantau, dan yang paling penting, keahlian PSF.

      Objektif kedua saya adalah untuk membantu meningkatkan sumbangan kewangan dari sumber bukan AS/Eropah Barat, sama ada dari syarikat yang berpusat di rantau ini atau dari sumber yang dipimpin oleh masyarakat. Dengan peningkatan kesedaran, penyertaan, dialog dan hubungan kewangan antara PSF dan komuniti seluruh dunia yang lebih luas, ia akan meningkatkan lagi rasa komitmen dan pemilikan kepada PSF oleh komuniti Pythonistas di seluruh dunia.

      Untuk mencapai objektif di atas, ada tiga langkah penting yang perlu dilakukan:

      • Kita perlu terlebih dahulu mengenali siapa kita: Kita perlu memahami komuniti-komuniti Python yang berbeza dan bagaimana mereka menggunakan Python, memandang PSF dan juga bagaimana PSF dapat memainkan peranan membantu mereka.
      • Kedua, menjelaskan kepada komuniti-komuniti ini dalam bahasa mereka sebanyak mungkin, peranan PSF, bagaimana PSF dapat membantu mereka dan meyakinkan mereka untuk menyertai PSF sebagai ahli atau sekurang-kurangnya menyumbang masa dan usaha mereka untuk komuniti setempat.
      • Ketiga, mempunyai cara untuk mengukur keberkesanan langkah-langkah yang telah kita ambil. Ini akan melibatkan pengumpulan sekurang-kurangnya data negara, wilayah dan bahasa individu dan kumpulan-kumpulan yang kita berinteraksi dan cara untuk menggabungkan dan menggambarkan data tersebut. Langkah ketiga ini penting agar usaha kita dapat dilaporkan kembali kepada komuniti dan membolehkan usaha ini dapat dibuat secara berterusan.

      Saya juga akan bekerjasama rapat dengan rakan-rakan kita yang lain dalam Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Working Group dan melalui hubungan mereka dengan komuniti lain di Amerika Latin dan benua Afrika, kami akan bersama mencuba meningkatkan penyertaan dari komuniti disana.

      Saya juga ingin menjemput anda untuk turut menyokong pencalonan dan memilih calon lain dari Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Working Group kami. Kami mempunyai aspirasi dan objektif yang sama, dan setiap seorang daripada mereka adalah juga pemimpin dalam komuniti mereka tersendiri.

      Terima kasih.

  • Nomination Statements:
    • Nomination by: David Mertz

      David Mertz (nominator):

      I wish enthusiastically to nominate Iqbal as a Director of the Python Software Foundation. In the main, I will copy below a statement he sent to me, but I also wish to add a few words in support of my own.

      I served on the PSF Board, for 6 years a while back. I've also co-chaired numerous PSF Working Groups, continuously for 15 years now. In particular, I've co-chaired the Trademarks Committee (technically WG) for most of that time. We have had numerous members come and go, and many members—on all WGs—tend to have difficulty finding time and attention for the committee work. Iqbal joined that group, and has been diligent, careful and conscientious. He's been an important resource on a complex ongoing trademark concern in Japan.

      Moreover, he also serves on the Diversity Committee, and has been active in organizing a variety of conferences and user groups in the Asia Pacific region, with many connections to those communities. Although I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting him in person, between oceans and pandemic, I have been extremely impressed for many years about the enthusiasm and attention with which he has reached out and maintains contacts with many developers throughout Asia (and indeed the world).


      My name is Iqbal Abdullah. I am a Malaysian, based in Japan and have been actively participating with the Python communities around the East Asia and South East Asia region.

      Other than coordinating effort and bridging knowledge between the different community leaders within the E/SE Asia region, as part of my community work I am currently part of the PSF Trademarks Working Group helping out to answer questions and solve issues concerning usage and protecting the intellectual properties of the PSF.

      In 2020, I stood up for nomination for the first time as a director of the PSF. The experience of going through the election process and the proceeding result have given me clarity in what I believe the PSF specifically and the Python community in general would need, which I have written in a blog post [here].(https://thefortunate.blog/diversification-is-the-future-for-the-psf.html)

      Directly as a result of the election in 2020, the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Working Group was formed headed by Marlene which I am also currently a member.

      My experiences during the 2020 election and the overall theme being carried over to the D&I Working Group will be my overarching goal and Key Impact Index (KII), if elected, as a director for the next 3 years:

      My primary objective during my term as a director is to increase recognition for and participation from the many diverse regional communities, specifically in the East Asia, South East Asia and South Asia in the Python community, be it within the directorships, Fellowship Program, Working Groups, technical/non-technical contribution in python projects, local and regional PyCon or meetups, and most importantly, the PSF memberships.

      My secondary objective is to help increase financial contribution from non-US/non-Western European sources, be it from companies based in these regions or from community led sources. With increased awareness, participation and dialog between the PSF and the wider world wide community, having a financial connection to the PSF by these communities will further increase the sense of commitment and ownership to the PSF by the worldwide community of Pythonistas.

      To achieve the above objectives, there are three important steps which needs to be done:

      • We need to first know who the people we're talking to: by understanding the different regions they are in and how they perceive the PSF and how they are using Python and how they think the PSF can help them
      • Second, is to explain to them in their language as much as possible, what the PSF does, how the PSF can help them and convince them to join the PSF as a member or at least contribute their time and effort to a local community closer to home.
      • Third, is to have a way to measure our impact. This will involve collecting at least the country, regional and language data among others, of the people or groups that we interact with and have a way to consolidate and visualize them. This third step will be important so that our diversity and inclusion efforts can be reported back to the community regularly and be made an ongoing effort.

      I will also work together closely with our friends in the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group and through their connections to other communities in Latin America and the African continent, try to increase participation from these communities too.

      Finally, if you've read this far down, I hope you now, like me, also feel the need for a stronger acknowledgment to a stronger diversified Python community worldwide. I would like to invite you to also support the nominations and vote for other candidates that are from our Diversity & Inclusion Work Group. We all share the same aspirations and objectives, and all of us are leaders within our community.

      Thank you.

    • Nomination by: Marlene Mhangami

      I am very happy to second the nomination of Iqbal Abdullah. Iqbal is an incredibly active member of the global Python community. Over the past year, I have personally worked with Iqbal as we prepared for and ultimately launched the PSF Diversity and Inclusion Work Group. In our Work Group Iqbal has represented the voice of the Python community from East and South East Asia. He has worked regionally with communities in these areas as part of PyCon APAC and has participated at a global level, as part of the PSF Trademarks and D&I Work Groups. Iqbal is an excellent communicator and brings with him so much insight from his experience as a community organizer.

      The PSF board of directors currently has no representation from Asia. Iqbal's election would be a substantial move in the right direction as Python grows its presence internationally. Our users in Asia do not currently have a voice on the board directly advocating for their interests and I would love to see that change. Iqbal has worked diligently in the groups he is currently in and has shown that he would be a capable and strong representative. I ask that this year voters consider the implications of the lack of representation of such a large part of our community, including future members, contributors, and users.

      Yours faithfully,

      Marlene Mhangami

      PSF Vice Chair and Director

      Chair PSF Diversity and Inclusion Work Group.