The inclusion of individual bondholders in the current Debt Exchange Program by the government has been criticized as autocratic by Mr. Novihoho Afaglo, Chief Executive Officer of Marrero Ghana Limited and Susagtad Boat Building.

He contends that the government's move infringes on the basic human rights of the bearer of the Ghanaian bond and urges the populace to speak out loudly in opposition to it.

According to Mr. Afaglo, individual Ghanaians shouldn't be forced to endure suffering or bear the weight of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) leaders' poor management of the resources entrusted to them.

Last Sunday, Mr. Afaglo asked in an interview with myrepubliconline, "Why should individuals suffer as a result of the actions of corrupt and inept leaders?"

To express our opposition to the government's decision to include individual bondholders, he said, "We must reject all measures, even blocking the town's numerous road networks, because the bulk of these individuals were not the ones who brought about the current economic catastrophe."

He also stated that enough is enough and that Ghanaians should stand up and denounce the January 31 deadline set by the inept Finance Minister, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta.

Mr. Afaglo's fury was intended to support a previous press statement from the Christian Council and a cross-session of other Ghanaians requesting the government to immediately cease the Debt Exchange scheme.

All indications, he claimed, show that the majority of Ghanaians oppose the choice, thus the government must review its course and find new avenues for funding the programme.

According to the CEO, the government's only option right now is to halt the entire initiative in light of the public outrage.

Instead of employing force to coerce individuals, he said, "Why do you fail to launch a participatory process where people would grasp the reason why their ties should be included in the programme?"

"Even though their bonds should have been included, there should have been comprehensive interaction with stakeholders to better grasp the concerns of the impacted people and institutions so that solutions could be described to resolve them,".

The government was urged by him to halt its plan to include individual bondholders in the Debt Exchange Program or face a popular vote from Ghanaians.

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