OCTOBER 6 — Since the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 on March 8, 2014, news outlets across the world have published the views of Malaysia Airlines, aviation experts, airline professionals, and a litany of lawyers about the fate of the aircraft and our loved ones on board.

In the past months, articles have focused on the airline’s legal obligation to provide compensation to the passengers’ families. These articles have been a sounding board for the opinions of lawyers and the airline.

We believe that it is important that the voices of MH370 families be heard as well.

Growing concerns at the lack of communication

Seven months have elapsed since MH370 disappeared; yet we know little more than we did in those terrible days following the disappearance. For the families, the nightmare continues.

The crushing anguish has seemingly no end. We hold out hope for a miracle, but we must go on with our lives. We have no other choice but to move forward.

We appreciate the challenges that the investigators face in searching for answers. We know that this situation is unprecedented and that answers will not come easily. However, we are increasingly frustrated and concerned with the lack of information provided to us.

For example, the investigators have still not released the complete cargo manifest, which may list items that posed a threat to the safety of the aircraft, and perhaps some clues regarding what may have occurred on the flight. In contrast, in the case of MH17, a full and complete manifest was released within 3 days of the incident, listing even cats and dogs on board.

We also have not received adequate information about why the aircraft’s Emergency Locator Transmitters did not emit any signals to pinpoint the location of the aircraft if, as the investigators contend, the airplane impacted water.

While we thank the JACC, Australia, for giving us updates on the ongoing search activities,  better communication will bring comfort to the families and foster trust in the investigation.

We ask to be briefed on everything the investigators and the airline learn.

What is the value of a life?

In the immediate aftermath of the disappearance, MH370 families were besieged by lawyers from around the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia. Many of these lawyers held press conferences in which they pressed families to sign retainers on the promise that they could obtain millions of dollars in each case.

In the meantime, Malaysia Airlines gave families USD5,000 as an immediate financial aid, and later offered USD50,000 as advance compensation payment.

Malaysia Airlines told families that if its legal liability to the families of its passengers turned out to be less than USD50,000, then families would not need to repay any excess from this USD50,000.

We are left asking “is any life worth so little?”

Does Malaysia Airlines really believe that a family's claim for losing a loved one may be worth less than the price of an automobile or a couple of first class tickets on a Malaysia Airlines flight?

Will the family of an American passenger receive many times more compensation than the family of a Malaysian passenger who suffered the very same loss?

Will the Chinese family of a MH370 victim receive less than a Chinese family who lost a loved one in the TransAsia Airways Flight GE222 crash?

Are these corporations, who take our safety in their hands when we fly, telling the world that the value of human life is simply dependent on who you are, and where you come from?

No sum of money, no matter how great, can compensate the families for our losses. No amount of money can ever take the pain away. True justice cannot be measured by money.

MH370 families do not seek to profit from the tragedy.

The lawyers who solicited the families with promises of millions were turned away.

More than anything, we want our children, spouses, mothers, fathers and grandparents back in their homes, in their schools, in our lives.

We must accept, however, the awful fact that our loved ones may be lost forever. Malaysia Airlines cannot undo this tragedy. However, a fair and adequate compensation for all, regardless of circumstances, would reflect the magnitude of the effect this tragedy has had on our lives and should be commensurate to this being the worst air tragedy the industry has ever seen.

The passengers on MH370 are human beings who are irreplaceable members of the families that they left behind. Every family has suffered a substantial loss from which they will never recover.

We should not be forced to begin litigation in countries across the world to force the airline and its insurer to live up to its legal responsibilities.

We beseech Malaysia Airlines and its insurer to reflect on the indescribable losses the families have suffered, and continue to suffer each day that their loved ones are missing.

The future of Malaysia Airlines and the future of the families

We read news articles about the steps Malaysia Airlines is taking to rebrand itself and recover after suffering the loss of two planes. We do not begrudge Malaysia Airlines success in its reorganisation and rebranding.

Our request is simple and, to use the words of one prominent insurer, the “1 Thing That Matters” to us is knowing what happened to our loved ones, no matter how difficult the news will be to bear.

We want our loved ones to be treated honourably. We want to be treated with respect, and want our legal rights to be fairly addressed

* This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.