PUTRAJAYA, June 30 — Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said today he will play an active role in the ongoing search for missing flight MH370 despite handing over the transport portfolio to Datuk Seri Dr Liow Tiong Lai.

At a joint press conference, Liow said that he would need “some time” to ease into his new role as transport minister.

“We will be dividing our responsibilities equally, I cannot run away from this.

“My name has become synonymous with MH370... in the Middle East I am even known as the MH370 minister,” Hishammuddin told reporters.

Liow said his first task as minister would be to call on China’s transport minister tonight for an update on efforts to locate the missing Malaysia Airlines flight.

He also said he would be travelling to Canberra, Australia soon to meet the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (Jacc), headed by Angus Houston.

“There is currently a lot of hearsay and false reports. I will go to Canberra to get first-hand information, straight from the horse’s mouth,” said Liow, who is also MCA president.

“I will be introducing Datuk Seri Liow to all the relevant authorities and stakeholders in China and Australia in order to ensure his smooth transition into the role,” added Hishammuddin.

Both Liow and Hishammuddin will receive a full briefing tomorrow in Parliament on the search for MH370 by four ministerial sub-committees.

Beijing-bound Flight MH370 vanished from civilian radars on March 8, slightly more than an hour after departing from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Malaysian authorities said radar data indicated that the plane with 239 people on board had diverted from its intended path and headed towards the southern Indian Ocean, which is where the Boeing 777 is believed to have ended its flight.

Putrajaya and Malaysia Airlines have been heavily criticised domestically and abroad for their handling of the disaster, with critics pointing to the government’s slow response and lack of coordination in the search and rescue operations.

The plane’s disappearance has been touted as civil aviation’s greatest mystery.