The arrest of several government leaders on graft charges is proof that the government is serious about weeding out corrupt practices within the administration, Deputy Information Minister Datuk Zainuddin Maidin said today.

The move demonstrated the government's determination to fight corruption which could destroy the country if the scourge was not checked, he was quoted by Bernama as saying.

The arrest of several Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) recently is a clear message to everyone that corrupt practices are not allowed in the country," he said in Sungai Petani, Kedah.

All charged in court

The ACA had arrested several Umno and BN component party leaders who were suspected of being involved in corrupt practices and their cases had been referred to the courts.

Among those arrested were former Land and Cooperative Development Minister Tan Sri Kasitah Gaddam, former Perak Executive Council member Datuk Azman Mahalan and former Selangor Executive Council member Datuk Mohd Shariff Jajang.

On a separate matter, Zainuddin said RTM did not ban P Ramlee songs which contained English lyrics, but the ban was against Malay songs sung by other singers where a part of the lyrics was in English.

Songs by P Ramlee were exempted from the ban because his songs were classics, he said.