COMMENT The Dewan Rakyat holds a special session today to debate a motion on the MAS Flight MH17 that was shot down in the corn and sunflower fields of eastern Ukraine, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

 

On Monday, the flight recorders from MH17 were finally handed over to the Malaysians at a surreal night-time ceremony in Donetsk, while the bodies of 282 victims began a slow train journey out of the country's south-eastern conflict zone, as per news reports.

 

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has won praise from friends and foes alike for this feat, through quiet diplomacy and 12 hours of negotiations. The bodies of the victims have been sent to the Netherlands, and Najib has asked for the remains of the Malaysian victims to be brought home before Aidil Fitri.

 

It is much too early for smiles and praises. The black boxes “will not tell you the plane was hit by a missile”, said an expert. There are major challenges to investigations in a war zone and a contaminated crash area.

 

As Parliament debate the issue, MAS is facing criticisms as to why its planes were diverted from Ukraine to another conflict zone, which is Syria.

 

Measured Malaysian response

Germany , France and Britain have urged more sanctions against Russia. Australia and Britain took the lead  on a UN resolution that demands investigators get proper access to the site and that the bodies of the victims be treated with respect and dignity.

 

Malaysia has expressed concern  that the integrity of the crash site may be compromised if investigators and monitors are not allowed in fast enough. While global anger towards Vladimir Putin and Russia is growing, Malaysians are criticising their leaders for not condemning Russia.

 

The MH 17 tragedy has indeed geopolitical significance. According to some unnamed government officials, Malaysia must be measured and judicious in its responses.

 

This is understandable, as Malaysia is a small country with little power in the international stage. Malaysian must remain focused and strategic.

We have two cabinet ministers and a delegation in the Ukraine capital, Kiev. They need to get to the crash site with guarantees for their safety in a conflict area.

Many questions are already being raised by Malaysians on the government’s initial responses to the downing of MH17.

But the final post-mortem of the government’s management and handling of the tragedy of MH 17 is not for this emergency sitting of Parliament.

Context of the Parliament session

What do we anticipate from this emergency Parliamentary session? Can our MPs  be strategic and focused? Can they be non-partisan?

This parliamentary session, like most of what we do, has a context.

In a period of five months, our national carrier was involved in two major tragedies. Flight MH370 disappeared mysteriously, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, and the search has not stopped.

And then last week, MH 17 was hit by a missile in rebel-held Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. The crash site, journalists at rhe scene said, is like “the set of a horror story”, with bodies and body parts everywhere, with the nauseating scent of death clinging...

Teenagers are seen carrying AK-47s. It is a war zone.

We need to manage the geopolitical implications,  the humanitarian dimensions of this tragedy and the future of our national carrier, MAS.

Whole families have been wiped out . There are parents who have lost their children. Children have lost mothers or fathers or both.

At this parliamentary session on MH17, I hope all our MPs will conduct themselves with respect in the August House, observing the dress code (so that time is not wasted on discussing exposed knees).

The parliamentarians should look into:

  • Appointing experts of world class standards as Malaysia’s team in the International Joint Investigative team;

 

  • Ensuring justice for the victims and families and punishment for the perpetrators;

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  • Appointing a bi partisan commission with experts and representatives of civil society as well to address all facets of MH17 tragedy;

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  • Appointing a multi-agency task force to provide counselling and other forms of support for the families of Malaysians who perished in the MH17 tragedy;

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  • A National Healing Strategy;

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  • The pime minister should also explain the MH370 tragedy; and

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  • The issues plaguing MAS should not be raised at this emergency session of Parliament.
    • The arms trade and risks to travel

    A Russian-made Buk missile, according to media reports brought down MH17.

    Malaysia must seriously address the proliferation of arms, both nationally and internationally, as an uncontrolled arms trade poses major threats to  travel.

    Parliament should also look into establishing a bipartisan task force of MPs to examine Malaysia’s defence policy, arms procurement  and our  ratification of the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty.

    The proliferation of arms and weapons is of serious concern globally, and to us too, given what’s happening in our seas around Sabah.

    The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute revealed in April 2012 that the volume of worldwide arms transfers from 2007 to 2011 was 24 percent higher than the period of 2002-2006. Asia was the biggest arms importing continent for the period 2007-2011!

    JOSIE FERNANDEZ is an Asian Public Intellectual Fellow. Among other areas of public interest, she has worked on transparency and ending corruption in the defence sector.