PENANG plans to revive the state’s voluntary patrol unit (PPS), which was declared illegal by the previous Barisan Nasional federal government.

State welfare and caring society exco Phee Boon Poh (PH-Sungai Puyu) said PPS offered crucial help in rescue and relief work.

There are plans to revive it and make it a community fire and rescue team to assist the state and other agencies in disasters and emergencies like floods, he said.

“PPS was a medium that channelled help to the people during emergencies and disasters.

“But BN and Umno killed it by taking it to court through the Home Ministry when they were in power.

“So the state government will revive PPS for the benefit of the people to provide early emergency response,” he said in the state legislative assembly today during question time.

He was responding to a supplementary question by opposition leader Muhamad Yusoff Mohd Noor (BN-Sungai Dua), who suggested the state government form a voluntary team at all village security and development committees.

PPS came into the spotlight in 2014 when police arrested 158 people, including Phee and several other DAP leaders involved in the unit, during the state Merdeka parade. The unit was deemed illegal as it was not registered with the Registrar of Societies.

In November 2014, then home minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi declared PPS illegal, invoking Section 5(1) of the Societies Act 1966, which empowered the minister to declare an organisation illegal.

Following the declaration, PPS’ name, symbol and logo were all banned and its accounts, assets and properties wound up by the Malaysian Insolvency Department.

PPS was founded in 2010 to conduct voluntary work during emergencies and help direct traffic and patrol residential areas to fight crime. Its members wore purple vests, which quickly became recognisable in the state.

The Penang government had always maintained that PPS was legally set up under Section 101(v) of the Local Government Act. The administration then took the matter to the courts. 

The case is now pending at Federal Court after the federal government was allowed to appeal against the Court of Appeal’s ruling that had allowed the Penang government to seek a judicial review to challenge the ministry’s declaration that PPS was illegal.

“If we can get permission, we will set it up again tomorrow,” Phee said.

“Even though the state and federal governments are now on the same side, the Home Ministry had taken the case to court.

“There is still no decision by the Federal Court. There is nothing we can do for now.” – August 8, 2018.