Poor response has prompted families of those on board
missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 to relook their drive
to raise US$5 million (RM16.1 million) through crowd
funding, as a source of funds to reward whistleblowers who
can reveal the truth about the plane.
As the amount raised via the crowdfunding website Indiegogo, since the campaign was launched earlier this month, has fallen far short of the target, the families are looking to set smaller targets but with an ultimate aim of still hitting the US$5 million mark.
The families are also revising their approach to Europe and certain other markets whereby pledges will be sought from “wealthy donors” as well.
The Reward MH370: The Search for the Truth campaign had aimed to raise US$3 million to entice whistleblowers to come forward with key information on the plane’s disappearance, and another US$2 million to hire private investigators to follow up on leads.
Sarah Bajc, whose partner Philip Wood was on board the plane which disappeared from radar on March 8 en route to Beijing, said the revised target through crowdfunding has been reduced to US$100,000 (RM321,000), adding that when such target is achieved, a similar or new target will be set.
"The timeline to reach these smaller targets will also be subject to extension," Bajc said, adding that the change is to allow for the families to still achieve the main target, but in more manageable steps instead of all in one go.
So far, the amount raised through Indiegogo stands at US$78,440 (RM251,500), or 78% of the revised target.
Sarah said their initial survey of how people felt about doing a reward and private search for the plane received lots of support, but people did not follow through with action when the campaign kicked off early this month.
“I frankly do not understand it,” said Sarah in an email to The Malaysian Insider.
“We still believe that the reward amount must be a "life-changing" sum or genuine whistleblowers won't come forward and risk themselves. They will need enough money to disappear,” said Sarah.
She hoped that the contributors keep their trust and faith in the families as they were committed to the project to offer a reward and conduct private investigations into the leads.
Sarah said with US$100,000 they could hire private investigators to pursue the best leads.
“We hope to get something started, and be able to show concrete progress, even if it is just to eliminate theories that have been floating around for months. We hope this will motivate people to continue to contribute to our efforts.
"Investigations take time, energy and money, but if done correctly, will yield results,” she said.
She said the project is not only about finding the truth about MH370, its passengers and the plane, but is also about the safety and security of airline passengers in general.
“The disappearance of MH370 has highlighted many flaws in the aviation industry and the procedures used to screen passengers, cargo and monitor aircraft in flight,” she added.
The ongoing search for flight MH370 is considered the longest and most expensive in aviation history, with costs estimated to have hit RM141 million in the first month alone.
The Boeing 777 jet carrying 239 people disappeared on March 8 after the plane veered from its Beijing-bound flight path and flew in the opposite direction towards the southern Indian Ocean.
The unprecedented event has created a dark cloud over the safety of over 8 million airline passengers every day, said the families.
They said that until MH370 is recovered and the cause of the disappearance is known, the skies would not be safe. “The next time maybe you or I will be on board a flight that goes missing,” they said.
Australian officials recently announced that a new search area has been identified further south within the prior search area.
The new search area is some 2,000km west of Perth, a stretch of isolated ocean frequently lashed by storm force winds and massive swells.
The next phase of the search is expected to start in August and take a year, covering some 60,000 sq km at a cost of A$60 million (RM181.75 million) or more.
Two vessels, one Chinese and one from Dutch engineering company Fugro, are currently mapping the sea floor along the arc, where depths exceed 5,000 metres in parts.-June 29, 2014. – June 29, 2014.
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