Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said he would support a proposal by the Penang government to revive the Penang Voluntary Patrol Scheme, or PPS, which was formed when he was chief minister.
Lim said he had asked current Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow to write a letter to the prime minister and also the home minister to seek permission to revive the PPS.
“We have fought in court and we won. Now the condition is still stagnant.
“After the letter is drafted by the Penang CM, I will help to forward it to the PM and the home minister for consideration,” Lim said.
State executive councillor and PPS chief Phee Boon Poh said the move would vindicate thousands of members whose jobs were “just to fight crime” in the state.
He said the restoration of PPS would give back its dignity and help reduce crime in the state.
PPS, which had more than 9,000 members, was formed by the Penang government in 2011 to help with voluntary work and to fight crime in neighbourhoods. It was under the auspices of the state Welfare Committee.
However, it was declared illegal in 2014 by the home minister, following the Registrar of Societies’ declaration that PPS was an “unregistered” body.
This came after attacks by pro-Barisan Nasional critics at that time claiming PPS had usurped the powers of the police and were acting as “personal armies or gestapos” of politicians.
The state government had then said that the police had praised PPS for fighting crime and often held joint crime patrols on the streets.
The state government also strongly denied that PPS was a private army, saying it was the act of BN parties trying to sully its image.
They said PPS members were tasked with keeping a watchful eye and hand over criminals to the police as allowed under the “citizens arrest” provision in the Penal Code.
On Aug 31, 2014, police arrested 158 PPS members at a march-past during the state-level Merdeka parade.
On Nov 22, 2016, the High Court quashed a judicial review application by the Penang government, saying the home minister had the right to declare PPS as illegal.
Last year, the Court of Appeal ruled that PPS was legally set-up and reversed the High Court’s decision.
In November 2015, BPS, an evolution of the PPS, was formed under the auspices of the 40 Village Security, Safety and Development Committees in the state. At that time, there were over 600 members.
BPS, too, has been branded “likely illegal” and of “no use” by the then IGP Khalid Abu Bakar.
Following this, the Penang government said BPS was put on ice pending the court’s decision.
The state government spent RM3.82 million on PPS, from 2011 to its disbandment in 2014.