Why this all matters to MH370 The response to the disappearance of MH370 from the Malaysian government and Malaysia Airlines (a state-run company) is seen by many as evidence of a lack of ability among the countrys political and business elite -- a result of decades of positive discrimination in favor of Malays and a lack of competition in business and politics. Malaysian officials arent used to dealing with a free and open press, and they have blundered in their attempts to deflect questions about the plane. While they are no longer suspected of involvement in the planes disappearance, the fact that two passengers were traveling on fake documents has embarrassed both the airline and the state. Its possible Malaysias internal politics could have played a direct role in the planes disappearance. Its true, for example, that pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah was a member of an opposition party anddistantly related to Anwar (Anwar himself has said that the speculation about political motives was grossly unfair to the pilot). The countrys Muslim Brotherhood-styled Islamist party, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), is also apart of Anwars opposition coalition and increasing in popularity, though speculation about an Islamist-backedterrorist attack remains just speculation. A more likely problem for Malaysia is that of perception. A country once known for its quietly strong economy is becoming better known as something else: a disorganized, unmeritocratic country completely unable to cope with a real emergency.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 17:16:55 +0000
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