Malaysian aviation chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman the butt of criticism
Missing flight 370 has thrust little-known Malaysian bureaucrat Azharuddin Abdul Rahman into front line of a crisis, and he's struggled
Once virtually unknown even in his own home country, Azharuddin was thrust into the international spotlight with the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight 370. He is leading the multinational search for the plane, which vanished without a trace eight days ago with 239 people aboard.
The Malaysian government officials who meander in and out of the search's media centre seem to know little about Azharuddin, other than that he worked as an air-traffic controller and rose up the ranks to become the chief of the Department of Civil Aviation. But they all agree on one thing: He's now in an unenviable position.
Besides facing the wrath of the missing passengers' family members, Azharuddin has been inundated with criticism from the international community and his own countrymen, who have grown infuriated by a week of confusing and contradictory statements about the search.
The toughest part of his routine has been the daily press conference at the media centre at Sama Sama Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
Faced with a barrage of increasingly hostile questions from the world's press, Azharuddin's introduction to media relations has been a baptism of fire.