The police's newfound coyness and modesty has left the opposition leader puzzled, apart from seeing red over Inspector-General of Police Mohd Bakri Omar's decision to turn down a request for a meeting with DAP parliamentarians.

Lim Kit Siang said DAP parliamentarians had sought to meet the police chief to discuss the Royal Police Commission's 125 recommendations to create a clean, accountable and professional force.

"In his reply to my letter last week, Bakri quoted Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's announcement on the status of the implementation of the recommendations - that 80 percent had been implemented

"Apart from listing the five sub-committees which had been set up on the recommendations, he said there was no need for a special meeting," Lim said in a statement.

The letter, according to the opposition leader, had left him 'puzzled and mystified'.

Firstly, he asked why must Bakri ( right ) quote the prime minister when as IGP he should be able to independently provide an update on the implementation of the recommendations.

Secondly, he said, if it is true that of last month, the police had implemented 80 percent of the recommendations, this meant that it is well ahead of the time-line recommended by the commission.

"Why then is the police suddenly so shy and uncharacteristically modest as not to trumpet such an achievement from the rooftops, choosing instead to 'hide the light under the bushel'?" he asked.

Excellent opportunity

In fact, he added, the meeting with DAP parliamentarians would have given Bakri an excellent opportunity to demonstrate that the police had been wronged.

The commission had proposed a time-frame for the implementation of each recommendation - with 80 percent or 99 recommendations to be implemented in five batches within 12 months by May 2006.

Lim said if the police had truly implemented 80 percent of the recommendations then bouquets and not brickbats should follow.

"This makes the refusal by Bakri to meet the DAP MPs even more inexplicable - unless the claim that it had implemented the recommendations cannot bear scrutiny," he added.

The commission was formed upon the instruction of Abdullah after the police came under heavy criticisms for allegedly neglecting human rights and being trigger happy.