DOES NAJIB DARE ANSWER? If a few cops used C4 to kill people, does it mean entire PDRM is bad - Guan Eng defends PPS

Let the court decide, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said after two Penang voluntary patrol unit members were charged with fighting in public this morning.

Lim said this should not give an impression that all PPS members were bad.

"What I want to stress is this. It doesn't mean that if there were one or two incidents (of PPS members behaving badly or breaking the law), all should be blamed.

"Similarly, with the police. Just because a few personnel had used C4 (explosives) to kill people, does it mean all the 120,000 policemen should be blamed for using C4?

"The same goes for the wrongful shooting of Norizan Salleh,” he said today, referring to the woman who survived being shot five times by police and was recently awarded RM300,000 by the court in her suit against the police for wrongful shooting.

Lim said those who did wrong should be punished, but this should not taint an entire group.

"That is not what the rule of law is about," he said, and called for the “political attacks” against the PPS and the state government to stop.

Lim was speaking to reporters today after visiting an electrical appliance store that was damaged in a fire to present aid to the shop owner when he brought up the PPS case.

The two PPS members, Lee Yew Kuen, 66, and Lee Chan Kwong, 35, were charged with committing affray at the George Town Magistrate’s Court this morning. Also charged was the man who said he was beaten up by the duo.

The man is Ong Eu Soon, 51, a businessman and social activist.

All three were charged under Section 160 of the Penal Code for allegedly committing affray or fighting in public. All three claimed trial.

The fight allegedly occurred on August 17, in which Ong said that the two PPS members wearing purple vests attacked him at a Hungry Ghost Festival event in Bandar Air Itam.

But the two Lees said in a press conference later that it was Ong, who had first attacked them.

The assault allegations led the state-funded PPS into its present controversy, with federal authorities regarding the unregistered unit illegal and detractors accusing its members of gangsterism.

On Merdeka Day, at the state-level celebration in Penang, police arrested over 150 PPS members who took part in the parade, along with the unit's chairman, state exco Phee Boon Poh. DAP elected reps R.S.N. Rayer and Ng Wei Aik were also detained over their involvement with the unit.

The DAP-led state government has since argued that the unit is legally set up by the state just like the Village Security and Development Committees, and does need to register with the Registrar of Societies.

All PPS activities are currently suspended. –TMI