Hope lives eternal

MARCH 8, 2014 was when Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared from radar screens, never to be heard from again. On the way to Beijing with a passenger manifest of mainly Chinese nationals and an all Malaysian crew, the wide-bodied Boeing 777-200ER became the greatest mystery in aviation history, and still is. More than two years now, and a search mission almost as long, the main parties met in Kuala Lumpur yesterday to decide on whether the search should be abandoned or prolonged. A costly endeavour notwithstanding, bereaved families hoped that the search in the Southern Indian Ocean will be continued. But, the decision made by the ministers of the three countries meeting in Kuala Lumpur is that once the area being searched has been completely scoured, the search will be suspended by the end of December.

There were experts hypothesising that the wreckage may not be in the current search zone, which extends more than 120,000 sq km, but a hypothesis is what it is, mere conjecture with no evidence. Malaysia wants hard evidence because a wild goose chase would cost the treasury a fortune. Obviously, all three ministers have decided not to entertain the notion based on little, if any, science, although their statement says that the suspension does not mean the end, but rather “should new credible information emerge which can be used to identify the specific location of the aircraft”, then consideration might be given to a next phase in the search for

MH370.

Words cannot express the regret that most would feel if by

December no concrete evidence surfaces as to the location of the plane. A no-closure tragedy for the families left behind, leaving many forever questioning as to what actually happened is the last thing Malaysians want. But, all that can be done has been done and will be done until the end of this year. For all practical purposes, there must be a cut-off point. Already Malaysia Airlines suffered much as a result.

While the Malaysian authorities will go on paying attention to any plausible suggestion that will bring closure for the families of the victims — quite a few of whom were Malaysians — the public can carry on praying for the victims of MH370. Because, in this greatest of aviation mysteries, only one certainty exists: only God truly knows. In time, the mystery is bound to unravel, as others have, but as mere mortals there must be a surrender to a will greater than ours. The grief is palpable, both regarding the tragedy and the inability to go on searching the ocean. In the meantime, Malaysia Airlines can only go through the motions of compensation payment. Nothing can turn back the clock. But, hope lives eternal, and one day there will be definitive answers explaining what happened to Flight MH370 on that fateful morning.