Bincang tragedi MH370 sama selain daripada MH17...
"Sebagaimana MH17, kehilangan MH370 juga memerlukan penilaian sepenuhnya yang tidak memerlukan sehingga pesawat itu ditemui – yang mungkin seminggu, sebulan atau setahun," kata Lim hari ini.
"Atas dasar itu, sidang tergempar Parlimen Rabu ini memerlukan dua usul berasingan, bukan membahaskan tragedi MH17 Khamis lepas yang mengorbankan 298 nyawa saja, tetapi juga kehilangan MH370 133 hari lalu yang mempunyai 239 penumpang di atasnya."
Katanya, kerajaan perlu membentangkan kertas putih berasingan untuk kemusnahan berganda itu dan menyokong jawatankuasa terpilih pimpinan pembangkang untuk menyiasat kedua-dua kemalangan itu.
Malam tadi Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak memanggil sidang tergempar Parlimen 23 Julai ini untuk mengecam pihak yang bertanggungjawab menyebabkan pesawat MH17 terhempas di timur Ukraine.
"Kami mengutuk tindakan tidak bertanggungjawab ini dan sebagai perdana menteri saya memanggil sidang Parlimen tergempar untuk membahaskan usul ini," katanya.
Beliau juga mengumumkan Jalur Gemilang dikibarkan separuh tiang sehinggalah Isnin ini bagi menghormati mereka yang terkorban dalam kejadian ini.
Tambahnya, sehinggalah bukti kukuh terdedah, tidak akan ada sikap salah menyalah kepada mana-mana pihak terlibat walaupun sudah tersebar keyakinan bahawa pesawat yang membawa 298 penumpang dan anak kapal itu ditembak jatuh.
"Saya tidak ragu-ragu malam tadi untuk segera menyambut pengumuman Perdana Menteri itu," kata Lim hari ini.
"Walaupun ia adalah amat malang selepas banyak permintaan saya untuk diadakan perbahasan Parlimen khas mengenai bencana MH370 itu tidak menerima sebarang jawapan oleh Perdana Menteri dan Menteri Pertahanan, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein."
Selepas kehilangan MH370 pada 8 Mac, Pakatan Rakyat berulang kali mengemukakan usul untuk membahaskan isu-isu yang berkaitan dengan kejadian itu, termasuk keselamatan, pengendalian kerajaan terhadap tragedi itu, dan siasatan.
Tetapi Speaker Dewan Rakyat Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia menolak usul itu kerana sudah ada penyiasatan dijalankan ke atasnya.
Timbalan Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee juga menolak usul Anthony Loke dari DAP untuk membahaskan isu ini kerana tidak ada notis diberikan.
Kedudukan pesawat MH370 tidak diketahui sehingga kini.
Bulan lepas, pencarian berpindah ke kawasan barat daya selatan Lautan Hindi, setelah dicari dengan rapi di kawasan timur laut. – tmi
Sementara itu Malaysia Airlines menerbitkan senarai kesemua 283 orang penumpang dan 15 orang anak kapal pesawat MH17, yang terhempas di timur Ukraine, dipercayai akibat tembakan peluru berpandu.
Senarai penuh di sini
Apa sudah jadi dengan Malaysia...
Sudah bertahun Malaysia cuba membina imejnya sebagai "Truly Asia" atau Asia yang sebenar dan juga sebagai Harimau Asia.
Sekarang negara ini menghadapi tragedi dan masalah baru dan meletakkan dirinya terkenal di seluruh dunia yang sukar untuk ditolak – negara bencana penerbangan atau the 'nation of airline disasters', lapor media antarabangsa, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Awal pagi Jumaat semalam, Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak bercakap kepada rakyat melalui media dan disaksikan oleh dunia, sambil berkata: "Ini adalah hari tragik, yang sudah menjadi tahun tragedi untuk Malaysia."
Kehilangan sambung menyambung untuk Penerbangan Malaysia (MAS) - MH370 yang hilang pada 8 Mac dan belum ditemui sehingga kini dan sekarang MH17 yang ditembak di Ukraine menyebabkan jumlah kehilangan atau kematian 537 orang – mengejutkan dan menyedihkan Malaysia.
Tidak ada sesiapa yang berkata kehilangan kedua-duanya mempunyai kaitan antara satu sama lain tetapi masing-masing menggelengkan kepala dengan apa yang berlaku ini, lapor WSJ.
"Sangat susah untuk bertanya, apa yang berlaku kepada kita?" tulis bekas editor sebuah akhbar Datuk A Kadir Jasin dalam blognya semalam.
"Mengapa kita mengalami terlalu banyak perkara buruk dan tragedi dalam suasana yang sangat cepat pula," tulis Kadir.
Tambah beliau,"Saya bimbang ramai antara kita yang jadi kebas dan tidak boleh lagi menunjukkan emosi. Namun hati kita masih berdoa untuk keluarga penumpang dan anak kapal MH17."
Kekecewaan menyebabkan ramai rakyat Malaysia bertanya apakah nasib mereka sudah berubah, lapor WSJ.
"Saya fikir ramai yang masih terkejut," kata pengkaji Ibrahim Suffian.
"Mereka masih mencari jawapan, bagaimana ia boleh berlaku. Mereka masih belum berpengalaman dan merasai kemusnahan atau tragedi sebegini," kata Pengarah Merdeka Center itu sebagaimana dilaporkan WSJ.
Kehilangan dua pesawat dalam masa kurang dari lima bulan tidak pernah berlaku kepada mana-mana syarikat penerbangan.
Suasana dalam setiap kes menyebabkan kehilangan ini lebih trauma lagi, lebih-lebih lagi MAS yang menjadi simbol negara.
Pesawat MH370 dalam perjalanan dari Kuala Lumpur ke Beijing hilang 8 Mac lalu dengan 239 orang diatasnya.
Penyiasat percaya ia terhempas ke dalam Lautan Hindi, tetapi tidak ada sebarang tanda pasawat ini ditemui dan ia menjadi misteri terbesar dalam sejarah penerbangan di zaman moden.
Kekeliruan dan salah urus pada peringkat awal pencariannya mencemarkan nama baik Malaysia kerana ia menjadi perhatian seluruh dunia.
Pada Khamis, pesawat MH17 bersama 298 penumpang dan anak kapal ditembak jatuh di timur Ukraine oleh peluru berpandu darat ke udara di kawasan konflik antara kerajaan Ukraine dengan pemberontak yang disokong oleh Rusia.
Oh Ei Sun, seorang rakyat Malaysia dan kini adalah fellow kanan di S Rajaratnam School of International Studies di Singapura berkata, Malaysia sudah lama cuba untuk mengambil jalan tengah untuk mengelakkan diri dari memihak kepada mana-mana kuasa besar yang bertelingkah seperti antara Amerika Syarikat dan Rusia.
Katanya, sudah sampai masanya Malaysia mempertimbangkan polisi tidak memihak dalam konflik dunia ini.
"Kita cuba untuk berkawan dengan semua orang tetapi dengan kejadian semacam ini, kita tidak boleh membantu tetapi harus berfikir kadang-kadang kita perlu menilai siapa kawan kita dan siapa yang dapat bersama kita," katanya sebagaimana dilaporkan - WSJ/TMI
Debate both MH17 and MH370 at emergency Parliament sitting...
Next Wednesday’s emergency Parliament sitting should have two separate motions to discuss the MH17 tragedy as well as the missing flight MH370, DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang said.
“Just like MH17, the MH370 disaster deserves full and proper accountability which cannot wait until the missing aircraft is found – which may be weeks, months or even years,” Lim said in a statement today.
“For this reason, the emergency meeting of Parliament on Wednesday should have two separate motions, so as to debate not only Thursday’s MH17 disaster which cost 298 lives, but also the MH370 disappearance 133 days ago with 239 lives on board."
He said the government should present separate white papers on the double disasters and support the establishment of an opposition-led parliamentary select committee to probe the two incidents.
Last night, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak called for an emergency Parliament sitting on July 23 to condemn the shooting down of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine.
"We condemn this despicable and irresponsible act and as prime minister I will be calling an emergency Parliament session to debate this motion," he said.
He also announced that the national flag will be flown at half-mast until Monday as a mark of respect for those whose lives were lost the incident.
But Najib added that until credible evidence surfaces, there will be no finger-pointing at any party involved, despite the widespread belief that the flight with 298 passengers and crew on board was shot down.
“I have no hesitation last night in immediately welcoming the announcement of the prime minister,” said Lim.
“Although it was most unfortunate that my previous calls and attempts for a special parliamentary debate on the MH370 disaster had not received any response from the prime minister of the then Acting Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.” he added.
In the aftermath of MH370’s disappearance in March, Pakatan Rakyat repeatedly called for a motion to debate issues related to the incident, including security, the government’s handling of the tragedy, and the investigations.
But Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia rejected the motion as there was an ongoing investigation into the flight already.
Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee also rejected a motion by DAP’s Anthony Loke to debate the issue as no prior notice was given.
The whereabouts of MH370 was still unknown as of today.
Last month, the search was moved to the southwest area of the southern Indian Ocean, after having scoured the northeast end.
The move was made after investigators discovered Malaysia’s radar equipment was wrong in concluding the plane had burnt a great deal of fuel by swooping and soared. – tmi
Meanwhile Malaysia Airlines (MAS) makes public the full passenger list of MH17. The list provides the name, nationality and gender of all 298 people - 283 passengers and 15 crew members - on board of the ill-fated flight.
Full list here.
Why are so many 'bad things' happening to Malaysia...
For years, Malaysia has sought to brand itself as "Truly Asia," an Asian Tiger that punched above its weight.
Now, as the country faces a new tragedy and fresh grief, it finds itself with a global identity that will be hard to shake—the nation of airline disasters.
Early Friday, Prime Minister Najib Razak addressed the media, in what was a sense of déjà vu for millions watching worldwide, and said: "This is a tragic day, in what has already been a tragic year, for Malaysia."
The back-to-back loss of two Malaysia Airlines 3786.KU -11.11% aircraft this year—Flight 370 in March and now Flight 17 over Ukraine with a combined total of 537 people dead or missing—has stunned and saddened the nation. No one is suggesting that the loss of the two planes is connected, but many are left shaking their heads over the coincidence.
"It is hard not to ask, what is happening to us?" wrote former newspaper editor A Kadir Jasin on his blog Friday. "Why are we experiencing so many bad things and tragedies in rapid succession"
He added: "I am afraid many of us are becoming numb and are unable to show emotions anymore. Still our hearts and prayers go to families and loved ones of the passengers and crew of MH17."
Unprecedented 2 losses in 5 months
MH370
The devastation has prompted many Malaysians to question whether their luck has changed and has even shifted the worldview of some.
"I think people are still in shock," said public opinion pollster Ibrahim Suffian. "They are still trying to figure out how this happened. They have never experienced any natural disasters or tragedies such as this."
Losing two jetliners in less than five months is unprecedented for any major carrier. And the circumstances of each case have made their loss even more traumatic, especially as Malaysia Airlines has been a symbol of the nation itself.
Flight 370 was on its way to Beijing on March 8 with 239 aboard when it vanished. Investigators believe it crashed in the southern Indian Ocean but no trace of the plane has been found, and it is modern aviation's greatest mystery. The confusion and mishandling of the initial search under an intense international spotlight left Malaysia's global image bruised.
On Thursday, Flight 17 with 298 aboard was apparently shot down over eastern Ukraine, where a civil war is raging between the government and Russian-backed separatists in the east, by a surface-to-air missile.
Neutrality
Oh Ei Sun, a Malaysian and senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said Malaysia has long tried to find the middle ground and avoid taking sides in conflicts between major powers, such as the United States and Russia.
He said it is time for Malaysia to reconsider its policy of neutrality in global affairs.
"This incident demonstrates that whether we like it or not, tragedies will be imposed on us," he said. "We have tried to be friends with everybody, but when incidents like this happen, we can't help but think that sometimes we should be more discerning in evaluating who are our friends and who we can rely on."
Govt reliance on racial politics and religious bigotry to stay in power
The Southeast Asian country of 30 million people sits at the southern end of the Malay peninsula between Thailand and Singapore, as well as on the northern part of the island of Borneo. In the late 18th century, Britain established colonies on the peninsula, which were occupied by Japan in World War II. The peninsula achieved independence from Britain in 1957 and formed as the modern country of Malaysia in 1963.
Over the years, it has managed fraught race and religious relations, growing an economy from commodity-producing backwater to a high-tech workshop, and for a time was home to the world's tallest buildings, the Petronas Twin Towers.
Mr. Najib, who has been in office since 2009, has attempted to continue to diversify the country's economy toward services and tourism.
Mr. Najib's ruling party, which has been in power since independence, came under fire during the early days of the search for Flight 370 over what many critics perceived as slow action and secretiveness.
The loss of Flight 370 was also especially traumatic for the nation because its disappearance has never been explained.
Closure
Some people took a small bit of solace, this time, that at least Malaysia couldn't be blamed.
"Now we know it's been shot down," said Mohammad Ali, 60, a shuttle driver at the airport. "Last time we didn't know. It's a little bit easier knowing."
Jagjit Singh, a government spokesman who worked with the media daily during the crisis days of Flight 370, said one of his wife's relatives was lost in the crash in Ukraine. "It's really sad,'' he said.
At the same time, he said, Thursday's disaster was more easily understood.
"The last one really hurt," he said. "Now only four months later, we have something like this. It's really shocking. A crash is a crash, but we don't expect it to be shot down."
A man looks at a screen displaying 'Pray for MH17'' at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Friday. European Pressphoto Agency
Rahmah Mahmood, 56, who was waiting for a friend at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, said she was up much of the night and worrying about friends she feared were on the flight. "For Malaysia, it's such a shock," she said. "You can't predict life."
"At least I think families will have closure,'' she said. "For the other flight, there is no closure."
Muhamad Paizal Othman, a manager at an offshore oil services company working on his laptop computer at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, said "everyone'' is writing about it on social media and online.
"I think people will feel better later," he said. "It will just take some time." - WSJ
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