Statute of Open Source Society Malta

Name of organization

i. The name of the organization shall be Open Source Society Malta (OSSMALTA).

2. Organization

i. The OSSMALTA is an independent, non-profit organization, operated by its members.

3. Aims

i. To provide a forum for discussing and gaining experience on open source software (OSS) and open source operating systems (OSOS).
ii. To increase awareness and promote the use of the OSS & OSOS (Example: GNU/Linux)  in the Maltese islands.

4. Membership

i. Membership in OSSMALTA is open to individuals who agree with these aims and accept this Statute.
ii. Membership is obtained by registering with OSSMALTA.
iii. There is currently no membership fee.

5. Committee

i. OSSMALTA shall have a committee which runs the organization on behalf of its community members.
ii. The committee may consist of six members, who will decide between them the following roles. Other roles may be created as necessary.
a. Founder.
The responsibility of the Founder is to over see the committee and general meetings.
b. Secretary.
The responsibility of the Secretary is to document meeting proceedings, and deal with correspondence.
c. Public Relations Officer.
The PRO is responsible for the OSSMALTA’s public image.
d. Assistant chairperson, and Assistant secretary.
To take over these roles in the absence of the chairperson or secretary.
e. Treasurer.
The treasurer is responsible for any assets belonging to the OSSMALTA.
f. Membership Officer
The membership officer’s role is to bridge any gaps between the OSSMALTA committee and it’s members and to attract new members to the community.

iii. Committee decisions shall be decided by majority voting. A quorum for a committee meeting shall consist of 3 members. The person chairing the meeting shall have a casting vote.
iv. All committee members should strive to assist one another in accomplishing all necessary tasks.
v. The term of office is one year, after which committee members may seek re-election.

6. Committee elections

i. The committee is elected during annual (AGM) or extraordinary general meetings (EGM).
ii. Elections are done via a democratic vote, with each member being entitled to one vote, if there are more candidates than positions in the committee.
iii. Any person who has been a member for at least 1 month prior to election is entitled to vote in the election or any other votes taken, and may stand for election.
iv. In the event of a resignation, the runner-up, if any, can automatically take his/her place without the need for an EGM.

7. Meetings

i. An annual general meeting is held each year in the month of August. Notice of the date and place must be given at least two weeks in advance via mailing list.
ii. The annual general meeting will include reports from the outgoing committee and an election of the new committee.
iii. An extraordinary general meeting will be held if requested by a majority of the committee, or 10% of members.

8. General

i. This statute can be modified only by a 50% approval at a general meeting.
ii. The views and opinions of the OSSMALTA are completely independent of those of its sponsors or other organizations.