Grace Nathan, whose mother was on the flight, said that then-opposition leader Anwar was optimistic that the missing plane could be found after it disappeared on March 8, 2014.
“In the early days after the incident, he (Anwar) was quite determined and felt that the search must go on until the plane was found,” said Grace in an Agenda Awani programme marking the ninth anniversary of the plane’s disappearance.
“I hope he keeps his promises and still feels the same way today as he did nine years ago.”
After Anwar was released from prison in 2018, the Daily Mail reported him as saying that he was not ruling out further searches for the aircraft which vanished after leaving Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) enroute to Beijing.
Grace also said transport minister Loke Siew Fook’s statement last Sunday provided her with renewed hope that a search mission would be resumed.
In a message ahead of the ninth anniversary of the plane’s disappearance, Loke reiterated the Malaysian government’s position that due consideration would be given to future search operations should there be new and credible information on the potential location of the aircraft.
“I believe that he is sincere with his words, and this is the most hope we’ve had in a very long time,” she said.
Meanwhile, Jennifer Chong, whose husband was on MH370, said the government should not keep saying it needed new credible evidence to start a fresh search mission.
“They (the government) can’t hide behind this excuse… then we can’t do anything,” she said on the Agenda Awani programme.
Earlier today, a non-governmental organisation called on the government to conduct a formal investigation into the ill-fated flight.
Eliminating Deaths and Abuse in Custody Together (Edict) president M Visvanathan said a probe could be conducted via an inquest or a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI).
Commenting on a Netflix series released today about the MH370 tragedy titled “MH370: The Plane That Disappeared”, Grace believed it would put pressure on the government to keep searching for answers.
Meanwhile, Chong welcomed any media coverage on flight MH370 as she said it would help ensure the tragedy would not be forgotten by the public.
Flight MH370 vanished from radar screens about two hours after it departed from KLIA.
Its disappearance remains one of aviation’s greatest mysteries as the aircraft has not been found despite the world’s longest and most expensive search mission.