Search for MH370 is self searching

         
                  The loss of MH370 still remains a mystery .The recovery of the aircraft has become  a part  of our national life .It is a tragedy that we know very little about as to  how it began and how it is going to end .Many questions remain unanswered .Up to now the exact location of the remains of the disaster is still a continuing  mystery . There  is no ending to the speculation of the entire saga  and these speculations have added more  confusion to the situation .
                  No one knows the exact story of the disappearance of MH370 and the  response to the confusion had been badly managed .As an example ,Plan A was to gather the families of  the affected passengers in KL or Beijing in order that they could be shown, at the earliest opportunity, the remains of their loved ones once they are recovered  .Plan A was a crash programme of sort and was going to be over in a matter of days.Now that the search is still on going after more than three weeks there is no Plan B  in place to redress the problem  .The affected families remain camped in KL or Beijing with nothing to do except to go through the agonising wait for some relevant news.
                             The only thing definite that they had was an announcement by the PM that flight  MH370 had ended in the Indian Ocean . It was a non conclusive statement that did not satisfy anybody ,least of all the families of the passengers. . The PM did not say anything that  could shed light on the fate of the aircraft or the passengers The statement had only added  more anxiety than ever was before. The crucial question of whether the passengers are dead or alive had not been answered. .It was elusive , intended to avoid deeper questions on the causes of the tragedy .The statements like these , although well intended, had caused more harm than good . They raised more suspicions and mistrusts  . Given the circumstances of an ongoing search operations the PM could not say more.
                  The families of the  Chinese  passengers who were already  disillusioned by the slow pace of the search started to voice their frustration by an open defiance of protocol when they stormed into the media room in KL. They carried with them unsightly banners demanding more information from the Malaysian authorities . .To add more fuel the Malaysian embassy in Beijing became a target of protests and demonstrations.
                   If everything possible was being done correctly,what then went wrong ? Why the show of anger ?Why has our credibility and competence put into question ?   The search was being conducted with an  international collaboration ?  why finger point at Malaysia alone ?
                       It is true that the disappearance of MH370 is mysterious but the  fact remains that it was an air accident .Air accidents happen  .The only differences  between one and the other are the causes of the accidents and the damages caused .From that stand point alone therefore the incident of the missing aircraft  MH370 is not that unique after all  .There are past experiences that we  fell back on , and on the expertise of other nations that went through similar tragic events .
                  We have not heard of fatal air accidents that brought  about such show of anger (by families  of affected passengers ) on  national governments that flew the aircraft .We have yet to hear of embassies being stormed at by the families of affected passengers when  air accidents happened .
                    We should be commended for our ability to rope in so many countries round the globe to join in the search at their own cost and to bring with them the use of the latest state of the art technologies in search and rescue operations .
                       If our good deeds are returned with such scorn and malice and  unappreciated the only reason that could be attributed to is our failure in the area of public relations .Our presentation of what had being done has not been properly executed .The media conferences had not been properly managed.The facts had not been properly and professionally presented to all .
                    The search is being conducted by highly technical and professional personnel .But the related media conferences looked like a social media conferences normally held at the conclusion of a company's AGM .
                   The presence of  ministers added stature to the conference but the technical personnel need to be around too to answer technical questions  . Put simply ,the media briefings lacked the benefits of a PR exercise .
                     The aim of a PR exercise is to establish rapport with the clients ,whoever they may be ..The members of the press are not the clients ..The clients are the world outside the conference room .The briefs must be given by those responsible for the technical details .If the details were given by other parties, the information therein becomes suspect and  less credible particularly so if they are uttered by politicians.   .
                  We have shown a high degree of concern for the families of the passengers on board MH370 but in our haste to demonstrate these concerns  there are things that are done prematurely . Take for instance the bringing of the relatives of the passengers to KL and camped them in   hotels away from their homeland .There  are no  definite time frame and no scheduled activities for them. These had added on  to their misery and griefs .It would have been more meaningful if they are allowed to be in their homes and yet remain ready to travel to anywhere required at a moment's notice. As it is now the whole episodes of transporting and feeding them have become a mockery and  counter productive where good intentions now become bad. .
                A display of a good PR is extremely important now that the "clients " are so varied and all over the globe .It is not an easy task and it requires  the professional advice and hard thinking inputs .
                 An engagement of renowned PR consultants could have saved us from the brickbats that had been thrown at us .
               As it is now,because we bungled in our PR exercise, despite the mountains of sacrifices that had been made, the safety of our nationals abroad has now become a talking point . What a pity !