DAP has urged Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi - who himself has been issued with 11 traffic summonses - to order the police to stop showing up at the doorsteps of traffic offenders with handcuffs.

In a letter to the premier today, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the question going around was how Abdullah did not get nabbed under the ongoing blitz against traffic offenders codenamed Ops Warta IV.

"Fortunately, the police did not knock on your (Abdullah) door late at night. It's because of this the practice must be stopped," he added.

Lim also proposed for a revamp of the traffic summonses system so that innocent people do not fall victims.

If the prime minister himself is not informed of the traffic summonses issued under his name, what more ordinary Malaysians? he asked.

Last week, it was reported that 11 summonses were issued to the prime minister for parking and speeding offences.

Abdullah later said that he had no idea about the summonses and vowed to settle them. Even the Inspector-General of Police Mohd Bakri Omar exclaimed surprise as to how the premier's official car could be given a ticket.

Lim said this in itself showed the weakness in the current system.

'Discount' for all

On the same note, he said the police had acted rightly by summoning the premier's official car if there had been a traffic violation because all were equal under the law.

The opposition leader also expressed hope that the 'discount' extended to Abdullah, whose summonses were reduced from RM3,300 to RM1,000, would be allowed for all ffenders.

"The police should give the same discount to avoid the being perceived as practicing double-standards," he said.

Lim said while there should be no leniency for serious traffic offenders, blacklisting minor offenders was sufficient.

"There is no need for arrest warrants to be issued, to knock on doors in the middle of the night and handcuff the offenders," he added.

Last week, Lim said based on the dates (between 2003 and last year) of the summonses issued to the prime minister, an arrest warrant should have been issued.