Why cops mum on MH370?

The world is waiting for the police to clear the air on the ill-fated MH370.

The Malaysian police have been overly cautious in revealing information on the investigations into the ill-fated Beijing-bound MH370 flight which has crashed in the southern Indian Ocean according to satellite data received.

Although the response from Malaysia Airlines, Department of Civil Aviation and the Transport Ministry has been good, there is lack of information from the police.

Of course, the police will not disclose the full information which may jeopardise their investigation but this is not a normal case.

Citizens from 14 nations were on the plane and the governments of these countries want to be kept abreast with the status of investigations.

To make matters worse, more than half of MH370′s passengers were Chinese nationals. China is demanding answers and pressure is mounting for a full disclosure of information related to the case.

The families of the 50 Malaysians on board the plane are also demanding answers.

The lack of information on the outcome of investigations has resulted in Malaysia being accused of withholding information.

But the police are also in a quandary. Should they reveal what they know? What happens if the families decide to sue MAS or the government based on police information?

Critics say the authorities owe it to the families of those on on board and a full disclosure is necessary.

Now, after 19 days since the Boeing 777-200ER went missing, the police have yet to come out with any solid information of what might have happened on board the aircraft.

All eyes are now on Bukit Aman CID director Hadi Ho Abdullah, who is heading the investigation.

The Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar has so far only announced that more than 100 people have been questioned as part of their investigations.

Khalid, who has attended several daily press briefings on the MH370 alongside Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, has been tight-lipped on the status of investigations and this has lead to speculations, some absurd.

For now, MH370 pilot Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah remains the main suspect. Some reports have even labelled him as a political fanatic. Some reports have mentioned that he decided on a suicide mission due to marital problems.

Close friends of the pilot have come out in droves to defend the man. They say Zaharie  was a successful and kind man with no ill intention to hurt anyone.

Burning questions

There are several questions unanswered.

If hundreds have been quizzed, what sort of information have the police gathered and what can be concluded from it.

Have the police retrieved the deleted flight simulator data with the help of computer geeks?

If yes, was there any concrete proof that Zaharie has practised flying over the Indian Ocean? How many times did he succeed or fail?

If he did commit the act, where is the note explaining his action? What is the point of undertaking the act if the world does not know why he did it?

What about the four angles of investigation “Sabotage, hijack, personal differences between the crew and passengers and psychological problems of the crew and passengers”? Have the police narrowed down the angle of the investigation? Are they going to cancel out all four angles or add more to it?

Intelligence agencies have cleared the passengers for terrorism so it leaves 12 crew members as suspects. What have the police received so far?

These and many other burning questions need to be answered by the police. They owe this to the family and friends of relatives of those on board.

The foreign governments are also waiting for answers so that they can move on from this tragedy.

This is not a minor case which can be swept under the carpet. It is not only Malaysians, the whole world is waiting as well.

The police must not only disclose what they have found but also be answerable to the method of the investigations.

They must also explain how they came to a conclusion. The onus is now with the police. Will they do it?