M’sia isn’t looking very good right now
When the nation has been thrown into utter shock, confusion and sadness over the missing MH370, conflicting statements by officials is not helping our image internationally
Anthony SB Thanasayan, FMT
It has been 12 days since Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished into the night sky – and we have not found the aircraft or its 239 passengers on board. The mystery surrounding the exact location of the ill-fated Boeing 777-200ER has all but deepened the intrigue as to its whereabouts since it went off the radars on March 8.
Like scores of Malaysians, I woke up to the news on a Saturday morning. A SMS from a friend at 11.04am read: “Beijing-bound MAS plane shockingly missing-in-action!” My first reaction was to immediately check my phone to confirm the breaking news story. Both of the SMS news alerts which I subscribe to were already screaming out the headlines.
My next reaction was to tune in to international radio broadcasters on the Internet via my mobile phone and on shortwave. The Voice of America, BBC and CNN on Astro were already thick with reports and speculations on what might have happened to the plane and what was being done to look for its passengers.
From then on and until now I have been by my radio, television and the computer sets, following up on the latest developments on MH370. Here are some of the jottings in my notebook:
Politicians, please watch your tongues! Less than 24 hours after the missing plane was revealed, one of you went on and on about how one of the crew personnel was a member of your political party. Excuse me, but was that relevant, especially as the whole of Malaysia, and the world, are worried sick about 239 passengers and not just one person?
Did that fact make the person you were highlighting more important than the others? What was your point in bringing that up, really, at a time when the nation has been thrown into utter shock, confusion and sadness over the catastrophe?
A little later, another politician blasted the media over Facebook for ‘speculating’ about what transpired with MH370. He sarcastically told them to “wait until the aircraft was found” before asking questions. Really? Sir? Now imagine if the press had taken you seriously and followed your stupid advice and stopped talking about the plane?
How much would we know of what we know today, even though it is still very much at the tip of the iceberg stage? Don’t you know that in a moment of confusion and sadness, what is important is to be kept informed? Whatever little we can get goes a long way to calm frazzled nerves and help us stay in control of a situation, no matter how helpless we may feel at the time.
And what better way to deal with rumours and unconfirmed reports by pursuing them and directing them to the right sources for clarification. It is unfortunate that you, as a leader, are simply unaware of the indispensable role of the media. Whatever personal misgivings you might have about the media, please take them elsewhere!
Anyone who has ever taken a plane or has had experiences of losing a loved one in a tragic situation was deeply shaken by the news. The media were our heroes to give us up-to-date information about the search and rescue mission, even though it was extremely difficult and frustrating for them with the government saying so little.
