KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - THE result of the recent Malaysian general election was a strong message that the Government had not moved fast enough in reforms which were promised, said Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

'I thank the Malaysian people for this message. Point well made and point taken,' he said in his keynote address at the Invest Malaysia 2008 conference here on Tuesday.

Mr Abdullah said the Barisan Nasional also lost the cyberwar during the elections and it was a serious misjudgment to have ignored such methods of information dissemination.

'We did not think that it was important to respond. It was a serious misjudgment. It was a very serious mistake on our part,' he said.

He said the Barisan government needed to respond to young people.

'It is my intention to respond to young people and their enthusiasm. We have no choice but to respond to the message as swiftly as we can,' he added.

In his second term as Prime Minister, Mr Abdullah said he intended to implement a bold agenda to address the concerns of the people.

He said the Government was ready to change and address the people's grievances.

'Already, we are beginning the process of rejuvenating the Government.

'Last week, I appointed a new Cabinet - a reform Cabinet in which half of the ministers comprised new faces and which had a number of independent personalities appointed to key portfolios.'

He said the Government would work hard with honesty, integrity and zero tolerance of corruption.

'I believe we have the means to do well. We are working very hard. We are ready to rectify our mistakes,' he said.