PPS: Abide by Law

The police took actions and arrested Penang Voluntary Patrol Squad (PPS) members who participated in the Penang Merdeka Day parade, intensifying the conflict.

The PPS caught attention after its members were accused of assaulting a journalist and members of the public, while the state government did not make it clear whether gangsters are involved in the squad.

After receiving reports from the public, the police made a statement, noting that the PPS has not been registered, highlighting the question of its legal status.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng claimed that he will fight to the end when defending the PPS, making the issue more acute.

The original intention of setting up the PPS was to help improving security and it was actually a good starting point.

However, according to Malaysian law, only the police and units that have permitted by law can carry out law enforcement. It is part of the rule of law to ensure only those who have undertaken complete training and qualified can perform public authority to avoid abuse of power.

It is also the principle of democratic societies ruled by law. Without such regulation, it could be expected that a number of law enforcement units would emerge with uneven quality and various motives. It could even lead to a threat of the formation of private societies which would not only not helping in maintaining community peace, but could bring chaos to the society.

To establish a patrol unit, the Penang state government must follow the law, instead of "fighting to the end", or what it is confronting is not a political opponent, but the country's rule of law.

In any case, the police would not have to deal with arrested PPS members as criminals. Most members joined the PPS without understanding the consequences of law.

However, the Penang state government should remedy the situation and not to let the members bear legal responsibility. If the state government really believes that the squad does help in maintaining the state's security, it should then register it and make it part of the legal system, making it a legal and regulatory unit.

For instance, the squad must have a clear purpose of establishment, meeting legal and social needs. The background of its members should be screened to avoid the penetration of gangsters. In addition, they must undertake trainings to ensure that they are professional enough to perform the tasks, and will not assault neither journalists nor members of the public.

Otherwise, there are other ways to improve security, such as expanding the People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela), encouraging ambitious people with clear backgrounds to join. Rela is formed and recognised by the country with well trained members.

As for the future of PPS, it still has to follow the law and be handled peacefully, instead of emotion and interest oriented, or the conflict will be intensified, resulting in a greater social contradiction.

Translated by Soong Phui Jee of Sin Chew Daily