I refer to the malaysiakini report Lips sealed over helicopter crash. It is just shocking to what length certain cross sections of the Malaysian political and corporate elite will go to keep sealed vital and pertinent information which is of public interest.

I must sadly point out that information on the Malaysian Helicopter Services' (MHS) ill-fated Super Puma L2 helicopter which crashed about 80km off Bintulu at about 2.30pm was only released after six hours after the said incident!

A four-paragraph statement from Petronas came as the only official response on the incident with no further releases and this was followed by the secrecy which shrouded the mission to bring the survivors back ashore to Bintulu.

Reports indicate that whatever information on this mishap was kept exclusively for the top management of Petronas. Why, may I ask? Prior to that, there was indeed a news blackout on the crash despite pertinent questions being raised in the public's interest.

Rather strangely, the survivors of the crash also refused to speak to the members of the press at the hospital. And to add to this rather bizarre code of silence, even the hospital management kept a tight lid on the identities of the victims and the injured.

It is vital that a comprehensive independent probe be conducted into this and other incidents involving MHS helicopters from multiple angles and if there was negligence or liability involved, those responsible must be brought to account.

This is all the more a necessity as Malaysia continues to go on record preaching about accountability, good governance and transparency to the Malaysian public and rest of the world.