The Penang government will "stand in front" of its troubled Voluntary Patrol Unit (PPS), said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, adding that Penang Pakatan Rakyat leaders, including himself, would defend PPS and would not bow to bullying tactics.
"If you want to arrest the PPS members, we will not stand behind them but in front of them.
"If this is considered a challenge, I think those people do not understand what it means to be a leader," he told a press conference at Komtar today.
"Leaders lead from the front, not from the back," said Lim who is the DAP secretary-general.
He welcomed a challenge in court over the legality of PPS. The federal authorities regard it as an illegal body as it is not registered with the Registrar of Societies, but Penang holds that it is a legal state body.
"If you disagree, take us to court. The state will accept the decision made by the court, even if the outcome may be unfavourable.
"Why did the police have to arrest the unit's members?" he said, referring to Sunday's arrest of 156 PPS members during the state Merdeka Day celebration.
In the crackdown on PPS, police arrested DAP lawmakers – Seri Delima assemblyman R.S.N. Rayer and Sungai Puyu assemblyman Phee Boon Poh, who is also a Penang exco and chairperson of PPS – for their involvement in the unit earlier this week. They have since been released.
Yesterday, DAP Tanjung MP Ng Wei Aik was also arrested and has since been released. He is deputy commander of PPS.
Lim also criticised the brief arrest of Malaysiakini assistant editor Susan Loone for sedition over a report she wrote that was related to the PPS crackdown.
"If the police think the report was wrong, the force can file a civil suit. There was no need to use the Sedition Act," he said.
- TMI
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