Ahead of the 2023 APNIC elections, I raised serious concerns about its governance. At the time, those concerns were dismissed, and I was publicly attacked by a small but well-connected group with vested interests. Subsequent disclosures proved those warnings correct: APNIC was, in effect, under the legal control of a single individual. For two decades, its sole owner, director, and shareholder held structural power over the Internet for the Asia-Pacific region through a private company arrangement. That concentration of control was dangerous and fundamentally incompatible with the role APNIC claims to serve.

Member pressure across the region forced changes, and those changes were necessary. But they are insufficient. To restore integrity and trust, APNIC requires a clean break from the past. Responsibility must be acknowledged at the leadership level. Those who presided over this failure must step aside; if they do not, the membership must remove them. Reform without accountability is cosmetic.

Structural reform must also include jurisdiction. Australia is no longer the right legal home for APNIC. The organization needs a framework that guarantees member rights, transparency, and enforceable accountability. Singapore offers that framework. It supports true member-based NGOs, provides legal certainty, and is already home to major regional institutions. Relocating APNIC to Singapore would align it with the Asia-Pacific region it serves, reduce travel barriers, and ensure fair access for members who struggle with visas and costs under the current arrangement.

APNIC does not need incremental adjustment. It needs decisive reform: leadership renewal and relocation to a jurisdiction that supports genuine member governance. Only then can it move forward on a legitimate and stable footing.