Apart from taking legal action against those involved in corruption, the government will also make public cases that are proven to be corruption-free, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told the Dewan Rakyat today.

"This is to prevent the public from waiting for a long time to hear the outcome of investigations into alleged corrupt cases and to avoid the perception among the people that corruption is widespread," he was quoted as saying in a Bernama report..

"We want to ensure justice is done in corruption cases. We cannot merely rely on perceptions."

The premier was replying to a supplementary question from Fong Kui Lun (DAP-Bukit Bintang) during question time.

The opposition MP wanted to know the steps being taken by the government to achieve the zero-corruption target and the progress of investigations by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) into 18 cases involving VIPs.

Then Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Dr Rais Yatim ( photo ) said in February that the ACA was investigating 18 "high-profile" cases after the arrest of former Perwaja Steel supremo Eric Chia and former Land and Co-operative Development Minister Kasitah Gaddam on corruption charges.

Abdullah reiterated that the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates in the general election had been screened and were found to be free of corruption.

"Before we nominated them as candidates, we made sure none of them were involved in corrupt practices. I want to make this clear," he said, adding that he hoped a similar procedure could be adopted for other posts.

BN's electoral pledges

Replying to Fong's original question on the BN government's efforts to honour its election promises, Abdullah said the measures included improving the public sector delivery system.

He said special task forces have been sent to district offices to clear the huge backlog of unresolved land applications, and to enhance land management and administration..

The government is also working on the national integration plan and poverty eradication initiatives to tackle hardcore poverty, he said.

He said action has also been taken to monitor all projects and programmes implemented by the government as pledged in the BN manifesto and under the ongoing Eighth Malaysia Plan.

Besides improving public sector efficiency, the government would ensure the private sector develops a culture of high performance in management to enable them to achieve the targets set.

"This includes giving close attention to government-linked companies (GLCs), not to harass them but to ensure targets are met," he said.

Abdullah also said government-people interaction would be strengthened, particularly with the new requirement for elected representatives to submit quarterly reports on their activities in parliamentary and state constituencies.

He also responded to a supplementary question from Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timor) on a new regulation requiring students to attain a pass in Bahasa Malaysia before they are admitted to private tertiary institutions.

Abdullah said the government would take note of the issue and that a special team would monitor media reports. If the new regulation contradicts the decision made previously, the government act on the matter.