A Grieving Malaysia Asks: ‘What is Happening to Us?’

The Wall Street Journal

18 July 2014

For years, Malaysia has sought to brand itself as “Truly Asia,” an Asian Tiger that punched above its weight.

Now, as the country faces a new tragedy and fresh grief, it finds itself with a global identity that will be hard to shake — the nation of airline disasters.

Early Friday, Prime Minister Najib Razak addressed the media, in what was a sense of deja vu for millions watching world-wide, and said: “This is a tragic day, in what has already been a tragic year, for Malaysia.”

The back-to-back loss of two Malaysia Airlines aircraft this year — Flight 370 in March and now Flight 17 over Ukraine with a combined total of 537 people dead or missing — has stunned and saddened the nation. No one is suggesting that the loss of the two planes is connected, but many are left shaking their heads over the coincidence.

… Oh Ei Sun, a Malaysian and senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said Malaysia has long tried to find the middle ground and avoid taking sides in conflicts between major powers, such as the United States and Russia. He said it is time for Malaysia to reconsider its policy of neutrality in global affairs.

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Last updated on 21/07/2014