Changing the public's perception towards government agencies is not an easy task and cannot be done overnight, said Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today.

To achieve this, Abdullah, whose government has been rocked by two high-profile corruption scandals in recent days, said 'the good things must be in control of the situation'.

The bad things can be overcome if the good things are in control, he told the Internal Security Ministry monthly assembly in Putrajaya.

Abdullah, who is also the internal security minister, explained that this made it pertinent for a person to have good motives and intentions when carrying his or her duty as this will in return beget good work.

Coupled with efficiency and good work quality, it will lead to a euphonious situation all the time, he said.

"When this is achieved, we can feel proud. We can stand tall. We can walk tall," he was quoted as saying by Bernama.

In his speech, Abdullah also touched on the Transparency International report on public perception.

The report, based on the feedback from the public and corporate sector, saw the police come in last among government agencies with regards to integrity and transparency.

Negative reports

Abdullah said the people are influenced by the negative reports in the papers about the police and do not see the police's efforts to quicken their response time to emergencies.

The premier also cited the United Nations Millennium Development report which showed that Malaysia passed in many aspects, including tackling poverty, except for curbing the drug menace.

However, he said the people do not see the things where the government had passed but only focus on that which it failed.

Last week, the Abdullah administration ran into troubled waters when allegations of corruption surfaced against Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) director-general Zulkipli Mat Noor and Deputy Internal Security Minister Mohd Johari Baharum.

Zulkipli was said to have amassed properties and wealth beyond his means while Johari was accused of accepting RM5.5 million in bribes to free certain criminal suspects held under the Emergency Ordinance (EO).

The cases are currently under investigation while both Zulkipli and Johari have denied the allegations.