The Penang government today suspended the activities of the state's Voluntary Patrol Unit (PPS) after 156 of its members were arrested by police yesterday.

 

The decision, announced by the state excecutive council after its emergency meeting today, is pending a bid to challenge the authorities' declaration that the PPS is an illegal organisation.

 

"The exco has decided to 'rest' PPS members from all activities in Penang until a court decision is made on the legality of PPS," the exco said in a statement this afternoon.

“We hope that the local community can replace the role that was played by PPS which had helped with community policing,” it added.

    

The statement was also endorsed by all 30 Pakatan Rakyat assemblypersons in the state.

The state government also decided to provide the PPS members with RM200 for every day they have been arrested, in order to cover “damages” resulting from the arrest.

'Heroes of society'

Among the resolutions of the emergency meeting was also to condemn the “slander” made by inspector-general of police (IGP) Khalid Abu Bakar in declaring PPS illegal.

“We consider all 156 PPS personnel who have been arrested as heroes of the society because they are arrested for doing good, not something criminal,” the statement said.

The exco demanded the immediate release of all those detained and insisted that PPS is not an illegal body.

 

"PPS is a legal body approved by the state government through the exco meeting on April 8, 2009.

 

"The way PPS was approved is similar to the safety and development village committees (JKKK) set up by the state government and and federal JKKK set up by the federal government after the 2009 general election," it said.

 

It added that PPS, which provides for disaster assistance and community work, is open to all Penangites and comprise of 2,970 Malays (33 percent), 5,123 Chinese (57 percent) and 873 Indian (10 percent).

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