The Star Online: Nation
The Star Online: Nation |
- History will judge us well, says Hisham
- F1 driver duo ready for 'Sepang heat'
- They will only grieve once there is proof that the plane crashed
| History will judge us well, says Hisham Posted: 26 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: "I think history will judge us well" – these were the words of acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein in defending Malaysia's handling of the MH370 crisis. He said that not many nations could get 26 countries to work together or get the most sophisticated planes from every corner of the world to come and help in the exhaustive search and rescue (SAR) efforts. "In a world that is full of divide, hate, death; what we see is a joint effort from all sectors of the community, notwithstanding the colour of your skin, race, religion, "Boundaries do not become a concern in an area in South-East Asia where we were fighting over rocks in the middle of the sea, and now we are working together. I think that is a great achievement," he said yesterday. Hishammuddin was asked about the "bruising" Malaysia had received at the hands of the international media on its handling of the investigations into MH370's baffling disappearance. However, he said it was a bit too harsh to call it bruising as this was an unprecedented situation, adding that he had received commendations that Malaysia was doing quite an admirable job. "Of course, as we go through it today when there is no conclusion to it, when we have not found the debris or linked it to MH370, speculation will go on and people will look to Malaysia. But I think history will judge us well," he said. Hishammuddin said that in these trying times, Malaysians had come together in prayer and support regardless of background, religion or political ideology. He said both the Government and Opposition MPs had given their 100% support to the special motion of condolence tabled in Parliament by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, which expressed sadness, sorrow and grief over the flight deemed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean. He added that his team would not divert its focus despite all sorts of speculations and accusations from early on in the investigations. |
| F1 driver duo ready for 'Sepang heat' Posted: 26 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: It has been unseasonably hot for Malaysia, but it is about to get a whole lot hotter with the Petronas Malaysian F1 Grand Prix this weekend. Mercedes Petronas Formula One drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton have vowed to give their all for the race at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC). Racing at Sepang had always proved to be tough due to extreme conditions, said Rosberg. "One of the reasons we train so hard throughout the winter is to prepare ourselves for this race. I expect it to be tough, but I am also confident of a strong showing this weekend," said Rosberg, who won the last race at the Australian Grand Prix early this month. Rosberg, 29, said although he enjoyed Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian food was just too spicy for him. "I usually eat spicy food, but over here, it is just too much for me. "I did, however, try the jackfruit and dragon fruit, and both were very delicious," he said. Teammate Lewis Hamilton, also 29, said Sepang was more demanding on the drivers' mental strength due to the extreme heat. "We need to constantly drink fluids in order to keep ourselves hydrated as sometimes we are sweating even before getting into the cockpit. "Once we get in the car, there is not much airflow. "Whatever air that does come in is so hot," he said, adding that the thermal-proof clothing that he wears also made the experience akin to being in a sauna. At one of his previous races in Sepang, Lewis said he lost as much as 4.3kg in fluids. Rosberg and Hamilton are looking forward to putting up a good show for the fans this weekend at the SIC. |
| They will only grieve once there is proof that the plane crashed Posted: 26 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT PUTRAJAYA: Families of Flight MH370 passengers are still holding on to hope that their loved ones are safe, saying they will only grieve once there was concrete proof that the plane crashed. Selamat Omar, 60, said he still believed his son, aviation engineer Mohamad Khairul Amri, was alive with the rest of the passengers and crew of the Boeing 777-200 "somewhere in the world". Referring to the announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Selamat commented: "He said 'ended' (in the southern Indian Ocean). He never said 'crashed'." "People are offering me condolences but no one has given me any evidence. "Until there is evidence to suggest that my son is dead, I am not going to abandon him," Selamat said, and appealed to the media and public not to eulogise the passengers and crew until there was proof that they perished. Mohamad Sahril Shaari, whose cousin Ahmad Razahan Zamani was aboard the plane with his wife Norliakmar Hamid on their way to their honeymoon in Beijing, said: "I hope the authorities can provide us with evidence. "It took them (two) years to find the (wreckage of the) French plane (which went down in the Atlantic Ocean off Brazil in June 2009) so I'm prepared to wait that long as well." Counsellors at the Everly Hotel, where nine families of passengers are staying, said the ambiguity of the case now was proving a challenge for them to provide comfort to the next of kin. "They are trying to understand what was meant by the word 'ended'. They are grieving with ambiguous loss. "While it is good that the (Prime Minister's) statement had answered 20% to 30% of their questions, they are still bothered. Some are choosing to wait before allowing themselves to grieve," said Public Service Department Psychology Management Division director Dr Abd Halim Mohd Hussin. Perdana University Graduate School of Medicine Assoc Prof of Psychiatry Datuk Dr Andrew Mohanraj said it was the lack of evidence and the extraordinary circumstances that were keeping the next of kin from properly experiencing the four stages of grief. "In the typical grieving process, one must go through shock and disbelief first, to profound sadness to anger and slowly acceptance, as steps for them to heal from such tragedy. "Unfortunately, these people may not be able to move on to the next phases and are stuck in denial or profound sadness or anger because this is a unique situation, with the lack of evidence only exacerbating their emotions," he said. Dr Andrew said it would be hard for the families to return to normalcy, and the public could play a role by offering well wishes and support. |
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