Monrovia – For over 10 years, Jlateh James Jlateh longed for today: the time his political party, the Congress for Democracy Change now the Coalition for Democracy Change, would take state-power.
Fortunately, his wish has come to life but with his present deteriorating health condition that caused his abrupt blindness, his enthusiasms has withered. He is now living in grief.
Jlateh says what got him depressed most is that he has been neglected by the party he served diligently for 12 unbroken years.
FrontPage Africa over the weekend paid a visit to Jlateh, who resides in the Sign Board Community, New Georgia Township of Gardnersville.
Jlateh recounted how he became visually impaired after battling several health complications. When he finally lost the battle, his sight was gone in 2017 – the same year his CDC will take on State power.
“I have been going through the struggle. I am a strong Stalwart of CDC and I have served in the capacity as public relations officer for Grand Kru County but I have been abandoned,” Jlateh said.
On March 5, 2018, Jlateh said he wrote a letter to President Geroge Weah, the party Chairman Mulbah Morlu and House Speaker Bhofal Chambers seeking their help. But no help came his way.
After Jlateh lost his sight, he was able to register with the Liberia Christian Association of the Blind. Through that, the visual impair organization, on his behalf wrote President Weah on December 7, 2018, for an assistant.
The two letters pleaded with the hierarchy of CDC to come to the aid of Jlateh and enable him to seek further medical attention outside of the country.
“I wrote lots of letters around but to no avail. Even Nathaniel McGill, I wrote and visited him at his house and he promised me that he will send me to India because of my commitment to CDC. But since then, I have not heard from him,” he said.
“The sickness not only caused me to go blind, but it has also affected my back and my spinal-cord. And I am hardly moving around.
“This is an SOS call, I understand that those letters that I have been writing throughout; the President may not be informed. Also, there are other government officials that have not been informed as well and so I need help. Right now, I am begging President Weah and other officials to come to my aid. I am not able to walk.”
“I am also calling on the first lady of Liberia Madam Clar Weah to come to my aid. She is one person I believed that have the passion of taking care of people”
In 1998, Jlateh worked as an employee of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) in Grand Kru County.
He alleged that because of his constant involvement with CDC, he was layoff by the FDA on April 5, 2007.
“I served in the capacity Public Relations Officer of the CDC in Grand Kru in 2005. And because of my involvement with CDC, I was placed on the downsizing list by the authority of FDA under the leadership of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf,” Jlateh said while displaying a copy of redundancy letter and arguing that he did not reach the retirement age but was downsized by the previous government.