A day after police arrested 156 members of the Penang Voluntary Patrol Unit (PPS), the home minister says he is "sure" police will act against the PAS volunteer corps Unit Amal too.

"The same action will be taken by the police. I am very sure they are going to take action," Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told journalists in Kuala Lumpur today.

The minister said this when asked about the difference between the PPS and Unit Amal, which has operated for decades and facilitated in crowd control for opposition protests as well as PAS' community events.

Ahmad Zahid ( left ) defended the  mass arrest  on Merdeka day yesterday and blamed Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for it.

 

"Because Lim Guan Eng challenged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP). He challenged the IGP to take action, so the IGP is taking action.

 

"Is the IGP wrong (for taking action)? When he is challenged by a leader from the state," said Ahmad Zahid.

 

Lim had said the state government will  provide  legal assistance to PPS members if they were arrested by police for simply being associated with the outfit.

 

The remark came shortly after Khalid  instructed  PPS to cease all of its activities, claiming that it was an illegal organisation as it is not registered with the Registrar of Societies.

 

The Penang government, which set up PPS four years ago, had rubbished that claim of illegality, pointing out that it was no different than local committee villages which are also not registered.

'Security is a federal prerogative '

 

However, Ahmad Zahid today said residential area-based outfits such as Rukun Tetangga, are gazetted by law.

 

"If they want to take care of security, we have Rela and for community policing we have Rakan Cop that can help.

 

"There is no need to form another organisation that appears to want to challenge (the authorities)," he said.

 

Ahmad Zahid insisted that matters relating to security were a federal prerogative and not the state government's.

 

He added if PPS is allowed to exist, then other states too will demand for similar outfits.

 

He also claimed the PPS assaulted members of the public and engaged in intimidation.

 

Ahmad Zahid also accused Lim ( right ) of wanting a security outfit for political purposes.

 

"Previously, Lim had applied to the Home Ministry and Bukit Aman to issue a letter allowing the creation of an auxiliary police force in every local council.

 

"But police at that time found out that auxiliary police had political purposes therefore it was not approved," he said.

 

However, Ahmad Zahid refused to disclose the nature of information about the alleged political motives.

 

PPS was declared illegal by federal authorities shortly after one of its members got into a scuffle with a businessman who is a staunch critic of the DAP-led Penang government.

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