THE disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 and the downing of MH17 are giving Malaysians a much needed reminder on the value of unity.
It was heartening to see the plural community of this country come together, putting aside their differences to honour and respect the victims of MH17.
Still, it was sad that it had to take a tragedy, in this case two tragedies, to rally the people together. Nonetheless, Malaysians are united in grief over the loss of their “brothers” and “sisters” in the July 17 aviation disaster when MH17 was believed to have been shot down in Ukrainian airspace.
For those who did the news coverage at the Bunga Raya Complex of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport when the first batch of MH17 victims arrived home last Friday, it was a surreal but humbling experience.
The sight of the caskets and urns draped with the Jalur Gemilang being lowered from the belly of the aircraft appeared to hit home that life was too fragile and precious to be wasted.
Finally, 20 of the 43 Malaysians, who had perished in the MH17 tragedy, had come home to their loved ones, who had waited long enough for them.
The government had declared Aug 22 as a day of mourning for the whole nation to respect and honour those killed.
Putrajaya received two of the MH17 victims after their families had agreed to bury them at the Presint 20 cemetery.
First Officer Ahmad Hakimi Hanapi and stewardess Nur Shazana Mohamed Salleh were laid to rest in the nation’s administrative capital after the solat jenazah (prayers for the dead) at Putra Mosque.
The picture of Hakimi’s son, 9-month old Abderrahman, carried by MAS pilot’s colleague at the front of the congregation in Putra Mosque went viral on social media.
More than 50 MAS pilots and stewardesses had turned up to pay their last respects to their two fallen colleagues at the Putrajaya Presint 20 cemetery that Friday.
It was a tear-jerking moment for all during the ceremony, even for the strangers who were present, especially when family members were unable to open the coffins to have a last look at the remains as they were sealed shut.
The pictures of the children who lost their parents in the MH17 tragedy, which this newspaper had published, were enough to move readers to tears.
All of this was possible because Putrajaya, especially the prime minister, used diplomacy when asking for the assistance of Alexander Borodai, the erstwhile leader of the separatist region where the tragedy occurred, to retrieve the victims and the flight’s black boxes.
To date, 24 remains of Malaysians perished in the MH17 tragedy have come home and another nine are expected to come back this Tuesday.
As the families of MH17 victims are getting closure with the return of their loved ones, the next of kin of those on board flight MH370, which vanished when it dropped off the radar in March, are still waiting their turn.
The governments involved in the search and recovery of MH370 have repeatedly assured the families that they would not stop looking for the missing 239 passengers and crew.
If MH370 is ever found, I believe those in Putrajaya will also give their all to bring closure to the families. When it is those aboard MH370’s turn to come home, we will once again see the beautiful sight of solidarity displayed by Malaysians when the remains of the passengers and crew of MH17 came home.
Unity is something that Malaysia cannot take for granted, and as the first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra al-Haj aptly said: “For the future wellbeing of our country, we expect and demand the undivided loyalty of all who wish to call themselves Malayans.”
This Sunday, Malaysia will celebrate its 57th independence day that was secured in 1957. It is a moment to reflect what we have done as Malaysians. Can we look back and tell ourselves that we have done enough for the nation’s peace and progress? Or, are we part of the efforts to stir uneasiness among the people.
Whatever the answer, it will reveal the kind of citizen we choose to be. For Malaysia to progress further, it needs more citizens who have unlimited and unconditional love for the nation. Selamat Hari Merdeka.