Much has happened since MH370 went missing last Saturday morning. The incident evokes considerable bittersweet sentiments in me because I had personally taken the very same flight at least twice to Beijing, and may very well have benefitted from the assistance, care and hospitality of one or more of the aircrew whose fate remains unknown for nearly a week now.

Since then, netizens went into a frenzy by commenting on and speculating profusely over the missing plane. The avalanche of criticism - from both within and without Malaysia - has no doubt put the Umno-led government under the spotlight and tremendous international pressure as never before. If the manner in which MH370’s disappearance is unprecedented, so is the challenge confronting Umno in demonstrating leadership before the world media.

Those who have been following my columns over the years should know my political affiliation perfectly well, for I would be the last person to defend a government that has for decades been synonymous with corruption, cronyism, collusion and complacency. Or C4 if you like.

Clive Kessler, Emeritus Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, berated the Najib Abdul Razak administration for “handling a huge global issue as if it was domestic politics”.

This was no doubt the case in the early stages of the crisis. As the complexities unfold and the search and rescue operations become enormous, the government has been forced to take a more proactive stance and swallow its pride by inviting more neighbouring countries including Singapore to participate in the mission, on top of China and the United States.

No aviation expert myself, I am most hesitant to speculate on what has become of MH370 lest others be misled. But I always agree that constructive criticism and fact-based speculations may go some distance to helping us shed light on the MH370’s fate, while a healthy dose of scepticism can remind the Malaysian authorities that we are not always prepared to take their word for it.

Granted, a clear-headed analysis does not necessarily lead to a definite conclusion, it may enhance our knowledge and keep things in perspective nonetheless.

What would be most unhelpful is for one to seek to gain political mileage at a time like this. For instance, did Umno engineer a disaster of this scale just to divert the public’s attention from Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy case and the upcoming by-election as widely speculated online?

I would not totally dismiss the possibility, but there are two nearly insurmountable hurdles for Umno in achieving the objective: first, it would have to involve China, a quasi-superpower and one of Malaysia’s most important trade partners, with the reputation of MAS completely shattered; second and more crucially, would one think Umno could have executed a plot as such with its lack of intelligence and competency?

Focus on the core issues

So, let this ill-considered conspiracy theory rest and focus on the core issues: locating the plane and saving lives.

Steven Sim, the MP for Bukit Mertajam, has sent a timely reminder that Malaysians must not forsake the right to demand for public accountability and transparency even in time of crisis like now. This is a position that I can fully agree on, but one must still be wise to know that between being political (and proactive) and politicking, there is an ocean apart.

It is the right of all to take the government to task over why two passengers were allowed to board the flight on stolen passports, which exposes serious loopholes in our immigration control, although I must emphasise at the same time that the lives of the two Iranians are no less precious than the other 237 people on board.

It is also right and proper for many to condemn Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for his racist remark that only a white person should carry an Austrian or an Italian passport. If a journalist from the floor had posed a stupid question as such, he or she should equally share the blame.

It is even more imperative for the public, media and politicians to urge a clarification over conflicting and confusing information given out by various state agencies, bodies or individuals. One such person is General Rodzali Daud, the Royal Malaysia Air Force (RMAF) chief, who would first claim that the RMAF base in Butterworth had detected the missing MH370 in the Malacca Straits and then deny it later, only to reassert his statement the day after.

He and others who may be quick to speak to the media must be chastised in no uncertain terms that this is not the moment for just a few minutes of fame that only confounds the already chaotic situation.

To be proactive politically also entails great responsibility, meaning that whatever information, articles, analyses, news, posts and even images that we share on social network sites have to be rational, well-grounded or credible in order not to confuse the recipients at large.

All this, however, is not the same as what many have been doing so far, which is nothing more than ranting, gossiping, rumour-mongering and indulging in innuendos.

When a piece of news comes in that seemingly confirms their doubt on the way the authorities respond to the crisis, the netizens simply forward it online without checking the facts. One may call this the herd behaviour which is understandable when a society is caught in great fear and uncertainty.

For example: did some China passengers indeed end up in India on a MAS flight from Hong Kong although they were supposed to be KL-bound as alleged by CitTV, a Taiwanese news programme? The news went viral in the Chinese-language cyberspace all over the world.

But it is quite simple for one to just verify and find that there are no direct flights between Hong Kong and India offered by MAS, and one must transit at KLIA still, so the accusation could hardly be reliable. I did just that before MAS issued a statement to clear the air.

Notorious for sensationalism

By the way, Taiwanese news media are in generally notorious for sensationalism and lack of credibility, and their news products ought to be taken with a large pinch of salt.

A heavier onus, however, is placed on the media and the politicians when it comes to reporting unverified or inaccurate news. Looi Sue-Chern of The Malaysian Insider , reported the same news without checking, although it has since been taken down. It is still available here .

Er Teck Hwa, the MP for Bakri, did the same with the news, along with another allegation that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang had authorised Beijing to take over the ‘investigations’, while MAS would only take care of food and accommodation for the next-of-kin. This was again proven to be unfounded after Huang Huikang, the Chinese ambassador to Malaysia, issued a public denial.

Er has apparently refused to remove these two hoaxes from his FB page despite reminders by some, arguing instead that all this was only meant for ‘reference’.

He is one, and Nga Kor Ming is another, who has also been forwarding news and images that are simply too cheap for a moment like this.

Sadly, these two reflect bitterly the low quality of some of the Pakatan lawmakers that we have, although the opposition coalition is eager to present itself as the government-in-waiting. If their leaders are busy spending time on spreading unverified news just to boost the hit rates rather than serious policy-making and monitoring, how are we supposed to put our trust in them as being able to do better than the utterly discredited Umno?

I agree with Sim that Malaysians must learn to be political and avoid the pitfall of being seen to be ‘politicising’ the issue. But the media and politicians on both sides of the political divide must take the lead knowing that their readers and supporters can be easily swayed by rumours, speculations and sensational news.

Put simply: if one’s criticism or speculation is not well-grounded and fact-based, one only ends up exactly like the powers-that-be that one is quick to condemn.

Can some of them just show us leadership by example, please?

JOSH HONG studied politics at London Metropolitan University and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. A keen watcher of domestic and international politics, he longs for a day when Malaysians will learn and master the art of self-mockery, and enjoy life to the full in spite of politicians.