Private use of the .gov ag domain is setting the government on a dangerous road, Daniel warns

Former university lecturer Dr. George Daniel has rubbished the
new clause in the Antigua & Barbuda Special Economic Zone
Act that grants an investor the right to use the government’s
website domain – .gov.ag.

Dr. Daniel currently manages the .ag domain and says the
.gov.ag domain should be used only by government ministries
and departments.

Therefore, he says, in the eyes of the world, any private entity
utilizing that domain will appear to be a government agency –
and he considers the move to be ill advised.

“In the hands of some mischievous character, it is a dangerous
road that they are going down,” Dr. Daniel warns.

In February, the Government tabled the first, second and third
readings of this amendment to the Act. The new agreement
also sought to change the number of members on the Zone’s
Advisory Board from seven to 11.

At that time, the Government announced that the Zone
agreement was in the process of being sold to another investor;
and Prime Minister Gaston Browne confirmed that talks were
underway with a Chinese businessman to purchase all or the
majority of lands that make up the Zone.

This came nine years after a contract had been signed with
Yida Zhang to develop a two-billion-dollar real estate and
development project. The YIDA project, however, was
hamstrung by delays and legal battles and therefore never
came to fruition.

The Special Economic Zone Act offers major concessions –
to include CIP passports for residents of the Zone and
permanent tax-free status, among other benefits.