Shock and horror

Months after Malaysia Airlines MH370 vanished without a trace causing anguish to many Malaysians, a second tragedy struck the national carrier on July 17. While en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Flight MH17 with 298 people on board was downed over Ukraine. The aircraft was believed to have been hit by a surface-to-air missile, allegedly by Pro-Russian rebels in the region, who have been fighting against the government in Kiev.

After days of bickering, the rebels finally agreed on July 22 to handover the bodies of the passengers and crew members, along with the plane's black boxes to Malaysian officials after Prime Minister Najib Razak made a deal with the rebel leader Alexander Borodai in eastern Ukraine.

In sharp contrast to the widespread criticism that the Malaysian government drew in the wake of the MH370 disappearance, PM Najib was praised this time around for his handling in the aftermath of the tragedy. But many Malaysians view this second disaster within a span of a few months with disbelief, prolonging their long trauma. Jahabar Sadiq, editor and CEO of the bilingual news site The Malaysian Insider, says in a DW interview that people are not sure who is to blame for the tragedy and are trying to understand how the conflict in Ukraine has dragged them in.

DW: How have the Malaysian people reacted to the news of Flight MH17 being shot down?

Jahabar Sadiq: There has been shock and horror. We initially could not believe that it happened. That is the general feeling in Malaysia. The mood is somber and grim among the people and the media, trying to understand how a conflict in Ukraine has dragged us in. And the lives of 298 people from all over the world and Malaysia Airlines, which is facing another setback after the loss of MH370.

How has the Malaysian government reacted to the downing of the plane?

The Malaysian government has been far calmer, although there is anger. It has not shown much emotion compared to other governments like the ones in Australia and the Netherlands - possibly due to MH370 and also the fact that we know what happened to MH17 and want to ensure that the recovery is done first before fingers are pointed and follow-up action is taken. It has performed well and maybe not as emotional as some would expect.

Do you have any information as to how these unprecedented twin tragedies have affected workers at Malaysia Airlines?

We have interviewed several Malaysia Airlines employees and they are numbed by this incident. Many aircraft fly over Ukraine and they could have been on anyone that could have been shot down. Moreover, it is the second incident involving the same type of plane. They are as shocked and shaken by this incident. They have lost their colleagues but they also know fully well that they themselves could lose their lives.

How are people in the country trying to cope with two disasters within a few months and the fact that there is still no closure to the MH370 tragedy?

The easy answer is they blame the government. They resort to prayers. And there are speculation and conspiracy theories. Malaysians, like most Asians, can be fatalistic but two incidents for the same airline with the same aircraft points to something more than an accident or coincidence.

There is no one way of coping with it. There is some closure for MH17 because we know what happened and we have the debris, but MH370 still haunts us. It is not easy. We are still wondering why and how these incidents are happening to a country that has no natural disasters.

What are the sentiments of Malaysian people towards Russia at the moment?

The anger towards Russia is just lukewarm. People are not sure who is to blame because the conflict in Ukraine is too far away and of not much concern to Malaysians. Most people are confused over who bears responsibility for this. Russia is not seen as an enemy as much as US is because of its support for Israel. You must remember that Malaysia is an Islamic nation, which means it supports Palestine and some here believe the US is far more dangerous than Russia.

How are the reactions from the international community different now from those when MH370 disappeared?

Both ordinary citizens and world leaders have been more supportive this time around. Because we know what happened and most of the international community is against Russia for their own reasons.

This is not a case of a plane going down due to pilot error, bad weather or plane failure. A missile brought it down. So people and leaders around the world know they can consign blame to someone. It isn't the same with MH370 because we still don't know what happened to it.

Jahabar Sadiq is editor and CEO of the Kuala Lumpur-based bilingual news site The Malaysian Insider.