The Malaysian Insider March 10, 2014
Has Malaysia paid a high price with its Third World standards and attitude towards security and asset management issues, was the question posed by a veteran newsman when commenting on the missing Malaysia Airlines Beijing-bound flight MH370.
Former New Straits Times editor-in-chief Datuk A. Kadir Jasin said that while waiting for news on the missing MH370, it cannot be denied that the control and security checks at Malaysian airports, including the Kuala Lumpur International Airport can be said to be “relaxed” compared with those in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.
He noted that even the mammoth Dubai airport had tighter control and security checks.
“Have we paid a high price for the attitude and third-world mentality towards security and asset management?
“Is this the repercussion for the corruption, abuse of power and negligence which have reportedly happened repeatedly in KLIA?” he asked in his latest blog posting, adding his voice to the growing criticism over poor airport security at the country’s main gateway.
The criticism comes as it was revealed that two men with stolen passports had boarded the MAS flight MH370, which has been missing since Saturday morning.
He also asked if the plane’s disappearance was the ultimate disaster as a result of corruption, abuse of power and flaws that are reported to be constantly happening at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
“Just look at the repeated delays in the opening of budget terminal klia2.
“Everyone is relaxed, everything appears to be alright and nobody is owning up or taking responsibility. Its business as usual,” he said in relation to klia2.
Kadir, writing in his blog said the missing jetliner remains a big question mark – given its sophistication, good safety record and being in the hands of an experienced pilot – to the point that it cannot be traced.
He said that a Malaysia Airlines flight, which crash landed in Gelang Patah in Johor in 1977, had also been hijacked. A hundred people made up of passengers and crew died in the tragedy. – March 10, 2014.