By Steven Sim, MP for Bukit Mertajam

The Penang state executive council (EXCO), chaired by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had on 8 April 2009 approved the formation of the Pasukan Peronda Sukarela (PPS). EXCO members include ex officios such as the State Legal Advisor, appointed by the Attorney-General’s Office, who advises the Chief Minister on the legality of state actions. No question on the legality of PPS was raised from the time of its establishment until now.

The Penang state government is a government with the rights and power to make public policies which affect the local community. Hence, the EXCO being the executive branch of the state government has the rights and power to set up committees, bodies and groups which in its view may assist in the smooth running of the state and local authority. Thus, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) cannot treat the Penang state government like an NGO or a political party without such rights and power.

If the IGP views PPS as being illegal, then he is essentially stripping the Penang state government off its executive and public policy-making rights and power.

This is a dangerous precedence which will further render state governments in Malaysia powerless in the already imbalanced federation where power is highly centralised in the federal government.

PPS is already five years old, all its activities are public, why action now?

Secondly, PPS has been working well with PDRM all this while together with other voluntary patrol groups as part of the concept of community policing adopted by PDRM. There was no problem in the last five years, why such high-handed action on PPS now?

PPS is not a secret society, its activities are public and its community patrolling activities were notified to and acknowledged by PDRM, they are easily recognisable through their uniform, the state government has records of them, they are not authorised to carry weapons, and everything was done above board. If there was a problem, why didn’t PDRM inform the state government? Is there now a new campaign by the police to shut down and arrest all voluntary patrol groups not registered with ROS? Or is PPS the specific target because it was established by the state government of Penang?

Establish IPCMC to make officers like IGP accountable

Finally I want to reiterate here the urgent need to establish an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) as proposed by the 2005 Tun Dzaiddin Royal Commission Report.

From Abdul Rahim Noor in the Anwar Ibrahim black eye incident, to Musa Hassan’s confession of Ministerial and political intervention in police operation, and now the various charges of abuse of power against Khalid Abu Bakar, It is high time we put senior police officers like the IGP accountable for his actions.

While the public should be accountable to the law of the land, PDRM especially senior officers should be accountable to the people being the taxpayers of this country.