Government And Opposition MPs Unite On Seeking Justice For MH17 Victims

KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 (Bernama) -- The tragic Malaysian Airlines (MAS) flight MH17 incident has unite the government and opposition Members of Parliament in working closely and supporting the government to seek justice for the crew and passengers.

Communication and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said their attitude in unanimously giving their full support to the country must be continued so that efforts to bring the irresponsible parties to justice could be done.

"We have gone through a difficult path but the message we convey to the world is clear regardless of whether they are from the big powers like Russia, Ukraine government or rebels.

"Even though we are a small country we have a big heart and we want to do the best we can in getting justice for the victims," he said when met at the Parliament lobby here Wednesday.

Ahmad Shabery also wanted the people to stop all accusations and speculations on the crash, which he described as an insensitive act.

DAP secretary-general and Bagan Member of Parliament, Lim Guan Eng said it was vital for all quarters to unite when the nation was saddened by MH17 crash tragedy in Ukraine last Thursday.

He said the opposition party also wished to show the world that they were together with the government on this matter to strongly condemn the tragedy which had befallen the country's aircraft besides bringing those responsible to justice.

Regional and Rural Development Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal said the international community needed to give its cooperation and support to help Malaysia sought justice for all the victims.

"We do not want to point fingers at anyone or seek revenge but we need to find justice at the international level because it involves a commercial aircraft," he said.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the approach taken by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who was not swayed by the geopolitical situation in Ukraine, had managed to persuade the rebels to bring out the crash victims' bodies and obtained the black box for further investigation.

Commenting on the investigation that was conducted by the ministry on the crash, the Sembrong Member of Parliament said :"We have the expertise and consensus from the international organisation that we are going through the process. I believe the most difficult part was to get bodies and the black box out but that has been achieved...we'll move from there","

Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun said Malaysia was really facing a big challenge in the MH17 incident so soon after the loss of MH370 four months ago.

She said it was the time for all the people to be united in facing the challenge by giving their full support to the forces and family members of the victims.

"The motion that was tabled today on the MH17 incident is a timely move, which shows our leaders were concerned and wanted to voice the people's views and show solidarity during the emergency sitting," she said.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said the move taken by Najib was a smart one that also received the support of the opposition parties.

"His effort is one of the best ways to solve this issue and had not the bodies and black box not procured, all parties will point fingers at us," he said.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Mah Siew Keong expressed pride that MPs from the BN and Pakatan Rakyat gave their full support on the motion.

"Whenever all members, regardless of political background, debated on the incident, I felt touched and proud because everyone showed their sympathy and undivided support in facing this challenge.

"Even though MAS has faced big blows twice within a short period, I will still use its services because as a Malaysian, we need to regain confidence in our own product to continue to be marketed at the international level," he said.

Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar welcomed the motion that was tabled during the special sitting to discuss on the MH17 tragedy today.

"It is a good start. I'm happy to see some issues from my party are being shared. We want to be included during a briefing", she said.

Nurul Izzah also reiterated the party's stand that the parties responsible for the crash should be brought to face justice and an indepth discussion on crash was ongoing.