Bounty for finding MH370

Today marks the 47th day since the disappearance of flight MH370 headed for Beijing from Kuala Lumpur.

As each day passes without any trace and clues on the whereabouts of MH370, the families continue to cling on to hope and pray for a divine miracle, but also understand the remote chances of finding their loved ones alive.

If there is a “hell on earth”, it surely must be what these brave families are encountering.

The search has been “narrowed” to the southern arc flight path in one of the most inhospitable parts of the world, the Indian Ocean, some 2,000km from Perth. Australia.

The “mini-submarine”, Bluefin-21, after nine deep dives (4,000 meters), covering approximately 66% of the intended area, has yet to find traces of MH370.

The interest of all concerned is locating the (now non-pinging) black boxes and plane, hence, the “public sector” search approach (which, according to some, has become expensive) needs to supplemented by the more entrepreneurial private sector. The caveat is there must be cooperation and coordination, especially at this stage.

Does it matter who finds the plane/black box?

Lawyers

For many, in certain cultures, lawyers are the un-necessary evil, but they do serve a purpose; not right a wrong, but bring monetary compensation to victims minus their contingent fees (bounty).

“Lawyers were notorious for finding cases in the most unlikely places, especially ones with huge potential damages awards.” (Jodi Picoult, Handle With Care)

They also move companies from their heels to their toes, which, at times, is not a bad development from a public service point.

Thus, it was inevitable that American lawyers would “officially” parachute in after the 45-day rule (in the United States) to reach out to the grieving families to commence filing suits against Boeing Corporation (need to find MH370, first) and Malaysia Airlines.

The nuances, complexities and details of the suit against the plane manufacturer and the airline are for others to e-pen about.

Bounties

As stated above, lawyers have a financial incentive to inject themselves into this tragedy, much like they did in Bhopal (Union Carbide), Lockerbie (Pan Am), Air France flight 447 crash into the Atlantic, and so on.

But, do the passenger families have incentive for involving the private sector in the search mission?

(The private sector has same incentive as the lawyers, monetary incentive [bounty] and ensuing publicity, for being involved.)

At this point, the families are less concerned about the various theories, conspiracy or otherwise, and just want answers and/or closure so they can move on.

Furthermore, the authorities are in a similar position of wanting to move forward, be it answers or closure.

It may come across as unsavoury to inject the concept of “bounty” into such a tragedy, but the objective is to get answers/closure.

Bounties have been used in a variety of matters:

Reward for capture and/or killing of murders, especially cop killers;

Reward for capture and/or killing of extremists;

Reward for whistle-blowers, percentage of recovery in cases where there is financial fraud against government contracts;

Reward for reduced sentences and witness protection programmes in cases of testifying against co-defendants;

Reality programmes on “Bounty Hunters”.

Now, who would offer the bounty for finding MH370?

It could Boeing Corporation, but would that be assisting the lawyers in finding the evidence?

It could Malaysia Airlines to exculpate itself from fault.

It could governments involved in the search, led by China and Malaysia, as may be more cost effective in the medium term.

It could be passenger families by way of a fund-raising.

It could be concerned multi-millionaires/billionaires, who believe it’s the best use of part of their wealth (giving back).

It could be the lawyers pursuing the case.

Inevitable

It may be MH370 is found at the deepest canyons of the Indian Ocean, hence, like the Titanic, it will be the final resting place for all to pay respect.

It is inevitable that families of MH370 will become a larger family unit united by common tragedy. I hope the lawyers (or others) do not take away from the goodwill the families have towards each other by enticement of monetary gains, beyond what is allowed by international protocols on such matters.

It is inevitable that a Hollywood movie on MH370 will be made after there is closure. Let’s hope the families receive some royalty if/when the movie is made.

It is inevitable that planes will have multiple tracking devices that cannot be disengaged without alarms going off.

It is inevitable the authorities have learned lessons on how best to share information with the families and media.

Conclusion

All of us have encountered deaths in our families, sudden or illness induced, and the following quote from Gilda Radner may be appropriate:

“While we have the gift of life, it seems to me the only tragedy is to allow part of us to die – whether it is our spirit, our creativity or our glorious uniqueness.”

I pray answers and closure is around the corner for the brave families of MH370. – April 23, 2014.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.