SWIMMING UP STREAM :Embrace nation building

Barbadians must embrace nation building and put aside narrow partisan politics. Thus the thought “ask not what you country can do for you, ask what you can for your country”, expressed by the late United States president John F. Kennedy, is even more relevant today.It pains me to know that Barbados, as a sovereign state, in 2010 allows a foreign company to own the domain name www.visitebarbados.com, as well as its monthly hosting. Tell me which private corporation would enter such as arrangement for its marketing? The Minister of Tourism needs to explain to the Prime Minister and the country why a domain name promoting Barbados costing US$2.99 is owned by a Brazilian company. We could all walk down Bridgetown and get US$2.99 from any patriotic vagrant to purchase this domain name from www.godaddy.com. This is also an insult to Barbadian web designers and the Barbados Community College Portuguese tutor. It also appears that some members of the Barbados Tourism Authority board were in the dark about this arrangement. Did this work for design and hosting of www.visitebarbados.com go out to tender? Call me mischievous for asking legitimate questions, but there is no excuse or explanation for folly even if ignorance is a plea! It’s heartening to know that visitor arrivals from the United States, Canada, Britain and Trinidad saw an increase for January and March in 2010 compared to 2009. Decreases in February and April 2010 compared to 2009 were less than ten per cent, according to the Statistical Department. This is foreign currency in the bank, keep the good work up!Each and every citizen of Barbados has a responsibility to ask questions and demand answers rather than wonder what has happened after the fact. We often, blame politicians and Prime Ministers for everything that goes wrong in the country. However, I will be bold and say some people should be fired for laziness. This is no dream! Mr Thompson, may God bless you with good health to do what is necessary.• Kammie Holder, the boy from the village who is interested in nation building as a member of civil society, appreciates freedom of speech in Barbados.