In his first cabinet meeting since the general election, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi reminded ministers to uphold their dignity and to safeguard the image and integrity of the government at all times.

He also called on them to strive to fulfil the pledges outlined in the Barisan Nasional (BN) election manifesto.

According to Bernama , most of the ministers met after the meeting agreed and welcomed the premier's reminder.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said Abdullah had told them to work as a team and avoid things that could bring them shame.

"The prime minister was very firm about some specific do's and don'ts. Basically you should not do anything that can embarrass yourself or the government.

"And Datuk Seri Abdullah is very determined that the content of the BN manifesto be fully implemented," he told reporters.

Prior to the meeting at the Prime Minister's Department in Putrajaya, which began at 10.20am, Abdullah attended a photo session with the cabinet members.

The premier announced his cabinet line-up last Saturday, which saw the creation of several new ministries.

'Tainted' line-up

The line-up however drew the ire of opposition leaders, who claimed that it did not reflect his pledge to eradicate graft since several 'tainted' ministers were retained.

However, the premier admonished the opposition for being perpetually sceptical and much to the chagrin of DAP leader Lim Kit Siang, he added: "I will run the government and I will run it my way."

Lim termed this as the first sign of peril and asked the premier how he would be willing to listen to the people if he was not even prepared to listen to the opposition's elected representatives.

Abdullah, who took over from Dr Mahathir Mohamad last November, led the ruling front to landslide victory at the polls sweeping 198 of the 219 parliamentary seats.

However, the opposition cried foul over the election irregularities and have called for a re-election.

Meanwhile, it was reported that the parliamentary secretaries to the various ministries will take their oath this evening.

Abdullah and his wife Endon Mahmood were expected to leave for Mecca later today to perform the Umrah.