KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 — The next-of-kin of those aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 pleaded with the authorities yesterday not to suspend the search for the aircraft.
Eleven family members appealed to the government and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, saying they had a responsibility to see the search to its conclusion.
The family members, who had been briefed earlier by the Joint Action Coordination Committee and the Australian Transport Safety Board on the search, said they had been led to believe it would be called off because of financial reasons.
Jacquita Gonzales, wife of flight attendant Patrick Gomes, said she recalled the time she first met Najib.
“PM Najib, you promised us when we first met you would be committed to the search ... that it would not stop until they were found,” she said.
“There is no harm in getting more people involved, in getting more hands to work at this.”
Gonzales thanked the Australian government and the people for bearing the brunt of the search cost and appealed for Malaysia and China to do more.
“China had the greatest number of citizens aboard. It is in their interest to do more,” she said.
“Malaysia needs to do its bit as well as the plane belonged to the national airline and its crew were our citizens.”
She also urged the authorities to be upfront on what they knew and on the progress of the investigation.
“As they say, it’s not over till the fat lady sings, and the fat lady has not sung. We want the truth,” she said.
India national K.S. Narendran, whose wife Chandrika Sharma was on the plane, said it was a matter of principle that the search be continued.
“Are we willing to just live with the unanswered questions?” he asked.
“Beyond the families, the flying public, the industry and governments have an interest in solving this mystery.”
Narendran said it felt like there was a lack of will on the part of the authorities.
“When power structures and politics come into play, the human factor can be lost,” he said.
Grace Subathirai Nathan, whose mother Anne Daisy was a passenger, said she was unconvinced financial constraints were the reason the search could be called off.
“We were not told directly money was the reason. That was the impression they gave us,” she said.
“We asked them what would convince them to keep the search going and they again, without being specific, led us to believe unless they had narrowed down the location precisely, there was little point in going on.”
Grace urged the authorities and all those involved in the search to persist until the case was resolved.
“This is often touted as the biggest or greatest aviation mystery,” she said.
“It is an unprecedented situation which needs unprecedented measures. We cannot give up without answers or closure.”
