Don’t cut the nose to spite the face

Before we condemn the PPS completely, it is prudent to view this organisation with some degree of objectivity.

COMMENT

By Chua Tong Ka

PPS or the Penang Voluntary Patrol Force is in the news again, this time with the police, the ministry of home affairs and even the Chinese press not sparing their criticism of this outfit.

Like most issues confronting the country, the issue of the PPS is being politicised instead of being looked at objectively. Not surprising, when nit-picking is preferred when issues are linked to people we dislike.

PPS is a big organisation with many members. I am sure that like most other organisations, there are the odd bad apples in it.

However the most important thing in any organisation is whether there exists proper supervision, a chain of command and a monitoring mechanism to deal with deviation and abuse of power.

I think it is totally unfair to condemn PPS based on a few complaints. Even if some of these complaints are genuine, I believe the PPS should be given the opportunity to rectify and deal with these first.

After all, there have been numerous complaints against our police force too, some of which are far more serious, but did we ever call for the force’s disbandment?

Safety and security is a big issue today not just in Penang, but throughout the country.

By setting up the PPS, the Penang state government should be commended for their efforts to complement and supplement the police force to maintain law and order in the state.

If there are shortcomings within PPS, the police force should use its expertise to help, especially on rules and procedures governing human rights when PPS members carry out their duties and responsibilities.

I think the state government, the home affairs ministry and the police force should foster win-win strategies rather than try to belittle each other.

I am sure this is what the people want most – the federal government and the state government working together to safeguard peace and security for the people.

Recently an article appeared in the papers condemning outright the modus operandi of the PPS.

The insinuations, some of which to me were defamatory, ranged from PPS being an illegal organisation, to PPS members assaulting unarmed citizens and reporters, to PPS members being made up of people with dubious backgrounds with some even linked to secret societies.

To me these are very serious and sweeping accusations that require proper investigation.

My take is that even if some of these accusations are true, we have to determine whether these are isolated cases or indeed apply to the entire organisation thereby making the squad, dangerous and useless.

I hope this is not a case of cutting the nose to spite the face.

The security of the people is far more important than trivial accusations brought up by some parties regarding the Penang state government.

Chua Tong Ka is a FMT reader