While many countries are beginning to voice their frustration over the way Malaysian agencies involved in MH370 are managing the crisis, we who live in Malaysia quietly understand their frustration. Some proponents would say that we are a cynical lot, but the way information has been managed over the last five days reveals a deep-seated problem with the way one views information.

Information, according to the authorities, cannot be released until it has been verified. Yet with this strict managing of information, we have successfully released contradicting information. All boarded, not all boarded. Five bags off-loaded, no bags off-loaded. Plane is in South China Sea, plane is in Straits of Malacca.  

From the perspective of the family members, it gives an uneasy feeling that either they have something to hide or they do not have it all together. Safe to say, in this particular crisis, it’s probably the latter.    

The authorities and especially the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) see information as a privilege for the masses. This is how Malaysia has always been governed. The less the people know the better. That way the government is able to modify and massage truth. That is the way many leaders would like to govern.   

What the government leaders, who are mainly from the pre-information age, have not come to realise is that we live in an information age and it exists on a shared platform. Since information is essentially power; power to make better decisions, power to form an opinion, power to debate and disagree, many authoritarian governments shun this notion of information sharing.

That is why some countries ban Facebook and other social networking sites. Our inspector-general of police (IGP) himself issued a stern warning about anyone giving opinions or comments online.

Rather than withholding information, it is probably better if the Malaysian authorities ensure that information and operational updates are readily and speedily disseminated and explained to the press and family. This, only through one spokesperson who speaks for the central operations task force where all information is fed. That eliminates the feeling that the authorities are withholding information and different agencies speaking out of turn with contradicting remarks.

Even if there’s little new information, it would be good to share what are the operational plans for the day.

The consolation in all this is that we know there are many countries and many vessels out there looking for the lost plane. Professionals with state-of-the-art equipment for tracking are employed. Agencies from all over the world including experts from Boeing are here to lend assistance. We all pray and stand in solidarity with family members and friends - hoping for the best.