The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Stay united and pray for those onboard MH370 Posted: 08 Mar 2014 04:33 PM PST
Having watched the television series called "Seconds from Disaster", I've watched about investigations into air crashes. Never did I think Malaysian Airlines would suffer a missing aircraft. It's a mystery what happened to the plane that lost contact with ground at 2.40am yesterday. There were 239 people onboard. While last week I wrote about a missing dog, missing people – and hey, a whole plane – takes missing to a whole new level. My heart goes out for the passengers and crew onboard. It raises the question – is air travel safe? By most accounts, air travel is convenient and speedy. Technology has come a long way to ensure minimum accidents through air travel. Hence, a missing plane garners a lot of attention. What could possibly have happened to the Boeing 777-200? A world-class manufacturer like Boeing has a good team of engineers to ensure airworthy planes. Malaysia is also an unlikely target for terrorists, debunking the myth of a hijack. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said: "Fifteen aircraft and nine ships are currently searching for the missing plane. Our priority now is to widen the search area and provide support to relatives of those missing." The Malaysian navy, air force and army have been mobilised to conduct search and rescue operations. Indeed, this has grabbed the attention of the world, with headlines from CNN to the New York Times. At home, Malaysians were made aware that MAS had had crashes in 1977 and 1995 but its safety record is synonymous with a developing country. As I mentioned, I fear the worst as I had been watching "Seconds from Disaster". But calm we must be as the authorities search for the plane – prayers being the one thing we must accord the passengers and crew on flight MH370. Malaysians are unaccustomed to hearing of such tragedy – and as such – have responded through Facebook updates and Twitter. There is hue and cry, no doubt because this international headline rarely happens. We stand together, fearing the worst and yet hopeful that we will find the aircraft with everyone safe and sound. Last tracked near the border in Vietnam, there are reports that it landed but these remain unverified. I pray that the latest updates bring better news. The grim reality is the lack of information is what scares us. By the time this is published, there will be more reports of the missing plane – and I hope we can stand united in our prayers for the safety of the passengers and crew. – March 9, 2014. | |
| Semoga pesawat MAS yang hilang ditemui dan semuanya selamat Posted: 08 Mar 2014 03:28 PM PST
Ketika artikel ini sedang ditulis, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) baru sahaja mengatakan mereka masih belum menemui pesawat MH370 yang membawa 227 penumpang dari 14 negara menuju ke Beijing selepas 24 jam dilaporkan hilang. Sukar untuk dibayangkan perasaan keluarga kepada 227 penumpang itu yang sudahpun dikeluarkan senarai namanya oleh MAS semalam. Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak berkata semalam, usaha mencari pesawat MH370 itu akan diperluaskan selepas usaha mencari di kawasan terakhir isyarat diterima tidak dapat dikesan. Beliau berkata, perbincangan bersama timbalannya Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, dan Pemangku Menteri Pengangkutan Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein serta ketua-ketua agensi memutuskan agar usaha mencari diperluaskan. Sejak semalam ahli keluarga kepada penumpang sudah berkumpul untuk mendapatkan kepastian di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) Begitu juga di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Beijing China, tempat pesawat MH370 itu seharusnya mendarat. Peristiwa kehilangan pesawat MH370 menjadi laporan utama media-media antarabangsa seperti CNN, BBC dan Al-Jazeera. Begitu juga media tempatan. Stesen televisyen Astro Awani boleh dikatakan memberikan liputan yang baik bagi stesen tempatan untuk memberikan maklumat terkini. Tidak kurang juga bagi media-media lain yang sudah pasti bilik beritanya menjadi sibuk "yang luar biasa" semalam dan sehingga pesawat itu ditemui. Semua berita-berita lain tenggelam termasuk keputusan bersalah Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yang dijatuhkan oleh Mahkamah Rayuan pada Jumaat kerana dikatakan meliwat bekas pembantunya Saiful Bukhari Azlan pada 2008. Begitu juga dengan konvensyen Pakatan Rakyat (PR) yang diadakan di Selangor semalam sempena enam tahun penubuhan gabungan itu. Saya mengharapkan semua penumpang yang hilang akan ditemui semula dan semuanya berada dalam keadaan selamat. Jika sebaliknya berlaku, anggota-anggota keluarga perlulah diberitahu perkara sebenar dengan segera agar mereka tidak berada dalam keadaan tertanya-tanya. Terima kasih diucapkan kepada semua rakyat Malaysia yang prihatin. Terima kasih juga kepada negara-negara jiran kita seperti Singapura dan Vietnam yang bertungkus lumus membantu untuk mencari pesawat yang masih belum ditemui itu. Pada saat-saat sedih sebegini, apa yang penting untuk dilakukan adalah berusaha dan berdoa agar semuanya selamat dan bukannya mengelirukan lagi keadaan dengan teori-teori konspirasi. – 9 Mac, 2014. * Ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis dan tidak semestinya mewakili pandangan The Malaysian Insider. |
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