Cabinet ministers have in principle agreed to disclose their assets following their approval of the draft of a code of ethics crafted by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr Rais Yatim said today the draft was approved by the cabinet at its inaugural meeting yesterday.

The code of conduct will keep tabs on the performance of elected representatives and among others, required them to disclose their assets and abide by the leadership's directive.

"I wouldn't know when its actual implementation would be but I would suspect that in the next get-together between the prime minister and government MPs, this will become one of the subject matters," Rais was quoted as saying by Bernama.

Salient points

When pressed for details, he declined to elaborate beyond saying that the code of conduct contained "very salient points and important matters."

"I think when Datuk Seri Abdullah announces the actual content of that document, everybody will know where he or she stands," said Rais, adding that it was up to the premier to think of how best to implement it.

He said previously there was no such code of ethics which clearly outlined the responsibilities or "the manner of action of a wakil rakyat (elected representatives)."

"With this code of ethics, drawn up by the prime minister himself, I am confident that every wakil rakyat will abide by it," he added.

Right step

Asked about his reaction to the code of ethics as a cabinet minister, Rais said he believed that its introduction was the right step to take.

"We were warned adequately that we should be clean, trustworthy, transparent and accountable. As long as a member of the cabinet is trustworthy and does his job well, it will be within his (Abdullah's) measure of concern to protect (the person) in the manner that can be done through the administration."

"But the moment a minister is at fault or transgresses those guidelines and is found to be in the wrong, then he is on his own," he added.

The former minister in the Prime Minister's Deparment was speaking at a media conference after handing over duties to his successor Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad.

Responding to the same matter, Radzi said the code of conduct should send a clear message to everybody on the need to be on the right side of the fence.

"I am confident cabinet (members) will toe the line. Otherwise, that's it. You are on your own," he added.

Since taking over from Dr Mahathir Mohamad last November, Abdullah has vowed to battle corruption.

However, when he announced his cabinet line-up last Saturday, several quarters were disappointed by the retention of 'tainted' ministers.