MH370: PAP MP retracts criticism

MH370: PAP MP retracts criticism

People's Action Party MP Lim Wee Kiak has taken back his criticism of the way Malaysia provided information in the first few days after Flight MH370 went missing.

This is after several people took issue with comments he made in an interview with The Straits Times last week, he said.

His retraction came after Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Sam Tan said yesterday that those criticisms were not the Government's view.

Mr Tan, in response to media queries, said the Government's position has been "clearly set out" by both Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Mr Shanmugam said some of the criticisms of Malaysia were "unfair", while PM Lee has noted that it was a very difficult situation for Malaysia.

Said Mr Tan: "It is an unprecedented and very difficult situation and, as PM Lee said, the Malaysian government has done a 'manful job'. Singapore deployed aircraft and ships in the search and rescue operations, and has conveyed that we stand ready to provide further support as needed."

The criticisms made by Dr Lim, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Affairs and Defence and an MP in Nee Soon GRC, were carried in Malaysian newspapers such as Sin Chew Jit Poh.

In a Facebook post last night, he said he had reflected on his comment and now agrees with the Government's view.

"This is truly an unprecedented incident and would have been difficult to manage for any country."

This article was published on April 11 in The Straits Times.

Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

[[nid:90825]]

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.