Ever since Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 went missing for more than 100 days ago, negative speculations such as conspiracies, cover-up theories and alleged hidden locations of the plane have emerged. However, Malaysia Deputy Communication and Multimedia Minister Datuk Jailani Johari stressed that these baseless report were made just to gain popularity.
In a recent press conference regarding the development of their search for the missing jetliner, Johari said the cooperation among nations participating in the retrieval operation (Australia, China and Malaysia) remain strong despite all the negative feedbacks.
"In fact, four sub-committees were formed by the governments namely the Asset Assignment Committee, Technical and Logistics Committee, Beneficiary Committee and the Communication and Media Committee to ensure orderly and accurate dissemination of information."
"I have just held a four-eye meeting with my counterpart from China in Beijing, last week and they appreciated Malaysia's commitment and open approach in the search mission," Johari reiterated in the press conference.
Johari's statement downplayed earlier report from the Wall Street Journal about the division of expenses in the search and retrieval operation. The Journal reported that China, Malaysia and Australia are now negotiating with Malaysian Airlines for refunds after shelling out millions of dollar for the three-month search.
"The sharing of cost is still being negotiated but I think it is only fair that China (and) Australia, together with Malaysia, find a way to share (and) bear the cost," Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein told Wall Street Journal.
Johari also squashed reports of a conspiracy among these countries, as he believed the search team has been transparent enough in releasing information with the presence of representatives from Australia and China.
"How can Malaysia hide the facts when the search and rescue mission involved 26 countries and every discussion in Canberra or Beijing is also attended by the governments of Australia and China? I wish to stress that the people should not be easily fooled by the social media, and should refer to mainstream media for the latest and accurate information."
Malaysian Airline Flight 370 vanished last March 8 while traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The jetliner carried 12 Malaysian crew and 227 passengers coming from 14 nations.
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