There have been a number of articles in the foreign press and comments made on news channels which have been critical of the Malaysian government’s handling of the disappearance of MH370. Some of it related to the changing of critical pieces of information like the exact time they lost contact and others about the perceived lack of transparency and conflicting reports. Others complained about the slow progress being made in getting answers. Understandably, family and friends of people on the flight are the first to express their frustration over delays in receiving information.
The Malaysian government is used to disseminating information as and when they feel it appropriate. Most governments likely feel this way, but in developed countries with a much more critical press corps, it is harder to keep things quiet or control the flow of information. Malaysian reporters have learned to accept that if the answer is not given, they must live with that. By contrast, reporters in Western countries just get more aggressive and critical.
Now, Malaysia is facing an unprecedented situation where the country has been making headline news for many days and masses of foreign journalists have descended on Kuala Lumpur for first-hand reports. The loss of a large airliner for so long is also unprecedented in aviation history, which is a major reason the story has grabbed the world’s headlines. The task of coordinating the search, which involves many different countries, is enormous and has posed a huge challenge for the country. Of course it’s always easy to criticise others when results are not immediately forthcoming, but there can be no question the international spotlight has put the Malaysian government into a situation it rarely faces domestically.
MH370:
- MH370 Update 7 April: Pulse Signal Detected in Search Area
- MH370 Update: New Satellite Images Shows Floating Objects in the Indian Ocean, Possibly Related to MH370
- The Search for MH370 Halts Due to Bad Weather Conditions
- Photos of Duo with Stolen Passports and New Theories on the Missing MH370 Plane
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