GHOST PLANE ...... Written by J. D. Lovrenciear In the wake of the MAS Boeing 777 tragedy that afflicts many nations and governments, the UMNO-led national-front government of Malaysia is beyond doubt, being taken to task. This tragedy lays bare some fundamental issues and concerns. To begin with, a senior ministers stern statement at the initial phase of the tragic news outbreak that there should be no speculation, begs mature, sensible and responsible debate. Making a fool of themselves with dont speculate gangster-like warnings The Malaysian Acting Minister of Transportation should know that in the immediate unfolding of a tragedy that has international consequences involving human lives, the social media provides a perfect launching pad and for the free and fast flow of information and ample space for show of concerns. Threats and or curtailing statements, Mr. Honorable Minister, are counter productive. It is a governments moral and basic responsibility and fundamental obligation to address all breaking news with affirmative information and updates. It does not do any good or appeasement to leave the Prime Ministers wife to address the media with a statement that she called her husband who was away in the suburbs on hearing about the tragedy. And merely trying to shut people out with do not speculate warnings belongs to a bygone era where regimes and their controlled traditional media reigned supreme. Caught short of talent due to government policy - whats available INADEQUATE & cannot match up. Next, as the worlds citizens follow this deeply grieving tragedy involving so many lives of fellow humans from so many nations, the ticking clock reveals even more concerns that obviously point the needle of accountability and transparency at the Malaysian authorities by virtue of the fact that the aircraft was a national carrier that departed from its own home space, KLIA in Malaysia. A cause-and-effect fish-bone analysis establishes that honest, reliable and indisputable answers will have to surface along four paradigms, i.e. what caused the fatal incident - was it man, machinery, methods or materials? The Malaysian governments engagement of a Disaster Recovery Management specialist form overseas to help in its Search And Rescue efforts loudly points to a revelation that despite UMNO-led BN governments claim of having modernized the nation and bringing it close to joining the ranks of a developed world status - given its fifty-over years of uninterrupted reign, the nation is still starved of local experts. Take a leaf from the questioning minds of the world community - thats how Msians should be, forward thinking and not backward bullies shouting racist slogans. Further, despite all the claims by the Mahathir and Najib regime that their government knows best what is good for Malaysia and Malaysians in the context of media freedom, rights and responsibilities, it takes foreign media to provide breaking news to the zenith. It takes foreign governments and news sources to tell the world that there were two stolen passports registered on the fatal flight. If we state therefore that the Malaysian government has not grown commensurate with its physical development in the area of information and communication management, would it then be pounced upon as treason against a State? To ask whether there are elements of sabotage or a red flag bomb; to suspect that there may have been a catastrophic failure; to ask if there was terrorism suspected - all of these concerns are not speculations, Malaysia! These are legitimate concerns in the wake of the fact that the plane suddenly disappeared from the radar without any may day and the Malaysian government did not take charge of the tragedy. It appears that it was merely crying out that Vietnam did not communicate officially yet. China PM demanded quick & vigorous search mission And the report that the premier of China had asked his Malaysian counterpart to quickly and vigorously execute a SAR effort further points to a government machinery that seems so ill prepared for a national tragedy that has far reaching international consequences. Whichever way you look at it, here are some soul searching questions that the Malaysian government helmed by UMNO-BN political machinery must take total responsibility and be held accountable to all the countries whose citizens perished in this tragedy of the Boeing 777 aircraft that is owned and managed by the Malaysian government through its national carrier MAS. Lazy and corrupt attitude has finally caused a global tragedy. Firstly, if there were terrorists on board the plane, how come Malaysia did not detect at ground level? Have we not learnt any lessons from Ground Zero? A government that moves with lightning speed to persecute and imprison its political opponents surely must have effective and adequate policing systems in place to nab potential terrorists. A government that even bans the world famous Ultraman comic series out of a learned sense of national security, cannot detect terrorists boarding a plane? A government that is prepared to go against the world court of learned opinions that the word Allah cannot be exclusive, is unable to ensure that all planes taking off from its state-of-art airport is safe and secure? And if it is proven beyond reasonable doubt that there were terrorists on board the plane, then the world court of opinion will query if this was the first time in the history of the world where terrorists had flown out of Malaysia. Secondly, if it was a mechanical or machinery fault, i.e. that it was a catastrophic failure, do we blame it on the aircraft manufacturer on our human/technical incompetence, apathy and ignorance? And if so, do we punish a technical team on the payroll or should the government take ownership for not ensuring that the national carrier operated without compromises? Indeed the only saving grace for the Malaysian leadership is either or all of the following options: that a heavenly bolt accidentally did strike the ill-fated plane; or an alien warship or aircraft laser-boomed the Boeing 777 MAS aircraft; or that a mysterious air force accidentally shot down the plane. And if none of these prove probable, then perhaps fall back on the thirty-over years of known, much practiced, convenient government excuse that it was all Gods will. Those who were negligent including at highest levels must resign. While we join millions around the world in praying for the souls of those who may have perished and the grieving families from many nations, we pray too that justice, honor, dignity, accountability and transparency will prevail at the end. After all, the cornerstone of disaster recovery efforts is the ethical dimension of owing up to failures and taking affirmative and effective steps to redress. And that includes leaders taking the knock and resigning for failure to lead despite given over fifty years of votes to govern. Public Relations spins including highlighting that financial aid is being dispensed or the eventual nailing of pawns for negligence or threatening with dont speculate remains condemned. The Malaysian government and its leaders must be mindful of Murphys Law and be humble and quick in taking responsibility. The global leaders and nations must take this post-tragedy accountability seriously, which they certainly will.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 04:06:02 +0000
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