SEPANG, March 9 ― Former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has called on the people in the country regardless of religion to continue to pray for a positive outcome in the search and rescue operation for missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH37.      

“We can see the efforts of officers and men in the search and rescue operation. All Malaysians, be they Malay or non-Malay, Muslim or non-Muslim, all must fervently for the safety of all on board, even though it (missing of the plane) has entered the second day,” he said.          

He said this when asked to speak by the Buddhist Association of Malaysia which performed a ritual to pray for the safety of the passengers and crew of Flight MH370, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport(KLIA) here today.

Earlier, Abdullah had performed the Zohor prayers, followed by “Solat Hajat” (special prayers) at the KLIA mosque for the same.   

MAS Flight MH370, carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew, went missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing about an hour after taking off from the KL International Airport at 12.41am yesterday. It should have landed in Beijing at 6.30am.           

 In Kota Baru, Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob also called on the everyone regardless of ethnicity or religion to pray for positive  development in the search and rescue operation.        

“God willing, with Malaysian united in facing such a disaster, we hope the families of those involved will be patient while waiting for the latest developments,” he said on his Facebook page. ― Bernama