YOURSAY ‘Sorry BN, you deserve an ‘F’ for crisis management.’

Pakatan MPs fume over MH370 briefing snub

Vijay47: One would have thought that after their shameful handling of the MH370 loss, a monumental management failure that drew the world's contempt and condemnation, acting Transport Minister Hishamuddin Hussein and his equally disgraceful Umno friends would have at least made some attempt to display more openness to a nation united in anguish.  

Incredulously, this base politician has the gall to restrict to his own political allies a briefing on a matter of national import. And this from the very people who warned Pakatan Rakyat about politicising MH370 during the Kajang by-election campaign.  

Limiting the briefing to your own circle, you would be preaching to the choir and no meaningful result would emerge from the meeting where no doubt, you and the rest will be complimenting each other on your excellent performance during the current calamity.  

You can be assured that should a similar disaster befall you and your friends, there would hardly be a tear shed.

Kit P: The Malaysian government executive has responsibility and accountability towards Parliament for the conduct of the search and investigation of MH370.

Just inviting BN MPs is a disrespect to the people who voted the non-BN MPs into office, and a denial of the democratic process. So what if there is going to be criticism? That is part and parcel of accountability.

The way senior Malaysian government figures had stuttered and wilted when faced with the world media shows how little the Malaysian government understands what is transparency and accountability.

Anonymous$&@?: Malaysia follows the Westminster parliamentary system? My foot. In the UK, the opposition parties are accorded due respect and rights in the Parliament because they are legitimately voted in.

Here, the Umno-led Malaysian government is acting like North Korea. This action by Hisham lend credence that the main reason that only BN ministers are invited for briefing is because he would not be able to answer the questions raised by opposition MPs.

Now the international press would know why Malaysian ministers and heads of departments are not able to take questions from them.

Fifty-plus years of top-down press conferences where the subservient mainstream media are fed answers (instead of being independent) has led to this poor state of malaise. Yet the Umno government is still acting shameless and arrogant.      

Anonymous_4031: Acting transport minister, is it "accurate" that a letter, signed by you, called for a special meeting of BN MPs about the missing MH370 plane?

Is it "accurate" to say that the sudden disappearance of MAS plane is not only the concern of BN MPs only but also the concern of all Malaysians?

What is more, is it "accurate" to state that this MAS disappearance is also of deep concern of all the 239 people on the plane? Is it "accurate" to say that MH370 veered west; and it was very stupid to search the South China Sea?

Is it "accurate" to say that, inspite of the disconnection of the communication systems, the plane did fly for four to five hours?

Is it "accurate" to state that several nations, especially United States, are concerned and are surveying the areas in the Straits of Malacca and the Indian Ocean?

Is it "accurate" to state that the matter is "urgent, important and of public interest" and that the House speaker should have allowed a full debate on it? So, he should not make it partisan.

Negarawan: This article by William Pasek in Bloomberg is right on the mark, ‘A plane disappears, Malaysia's flaws emerge’ .

Fair Play: Hishammuddin is not a very smart person, at least politically. Flight MH370 is a disaster of a colossal scale that shocked the world community and yet partisan politics is still uppermost in the mind of the powers-that-be.

The authorities had already been accused by discerning and expert outsiders that this incident was regarded as a domestic issue with domestic implications. Now they have confirmed it again that they are only capable of playing one-upmanship with the opposition at the domestic level.

In times like this all other countries, except Malaysia, would have closed rank and stand united in facing the world outside.

Hytan: As the acting transport minister has repeatedly said the problem is unprecedented, not only for Malaysia but the whole world, why the closed door briefing only for BN MPs, which really shows that the BN government is treating the crisis similar to local partisan politics. Clearly, these are signs of a failed government.   

Cantabrigian: In times when many right-minded Malaysians have put aside their political and racial prejudices under the banner of humanity to support the government in their search for MH370, it is the government themselves who are dividing the country with attitudes like this.

BN is inviting the wrath of the Malaysians and the world by acting like a headless chicken in dealing with this issue. Sorry BN, you deserve an "F" for crisis management. The world will not forgive you for doing this.

BN Cyberpooper: Perhaps they are going to discuss how to pin the blame on Pakatan Rakyat.

Anon1: There is no limit to the extent of an incompetent government's folly and stupidity. Why not have select days for BN members only in Parliament as well? Or set up off-limit zones in BN-controlled constituencies to opposition MPs?  

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