Veteran DAP leader Lim Kit Siang wants premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to explain why "non-Umno" representatives have been excluded from the task force formed to implement recommendations to improve the operation and management of the police force.

In a statement, he questioned why cabinet ministers from other parties are not in from the task force.

"... all that has been reported is that the task force will comprise senior officials from the public services department, the treasury, Attorney-General's Chambers and the internal security ministry," he noted.

He asked when the task force will hold its inaugural meeting, as it has been a month since Abdullah and the King received the report of the Royal police commission.

The 607-page report was drafted by a team of commissioners led by former chief justice Mohd Dzaiddin Abdullah. They came up with 125 recommendations to improve the police force.

Lim further asked if Abdullah is committed to accepting and implementing all the recommendations and to present the recommendations as a White Paper in Parliament when it reconvenes on June 20.

Yesterday, Abdullah said he was looking into the recommendations and that these have to be studied. Some could be implemented in the short term, while others would take a longer time.

He also said the public should understand that implementation was not as simple as making recommendations, according to a Bernama report.

Interim report

Abdullah was further urged to make public the 57-page interim report of the Royal police commission, which had submitted the document last August to the premier and to the King.

"So long as Members of Parliament and civil society are denied access to the interim report, an ever larger shadow is cast over the credibility and legitimacy of the commitment of the prime minister to lead a clean, incorruptible, efficient, accountable, transparent, trustworthy and people-oriented administration," Lim said in another statement.

He added that several of the commissioners have expressed surprise that the interim report has not been made public even though they had clearly stated in their report that this should be done.