Malaysia's new prime minister, Mr. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, is wasting no time distinguishing himself in office. Typically, however, he is doing it quietly. Without a lot of fanfare, Mr. Badawi has launched a campaign to root out corruption. In foreign policy, he is smoothing over the rough relationships that he inherited. All those efforts -- and his way of going about them -- are winning him high marks at home and abroad. It is too early to say how successful he will be, but so far there are reasons to think that his style and substance will usher in a new era for his country.

There was never any doubt that Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was going to be a tough act to follow. Mr. Mahathir was one of the founders of modern Asia, a hero for his nation and for many others who looked to him on the international stage to speak up for the little guy. Mr. Mahathir was a visionary who dared to dream of greatness for his country. The flip side of his strengths was an unwillingness to tolerate criticism or challenge and that he seemed to turn a blind eye to the corruption of those who followed and supported him.

Mr. Badawi was Mr. Mahathir's handpicked successor yet the two men could not be more dissimilar. Where Mr. Mahathir was outspoken, Mr. Badawi is circumspect. While Mr. Mahathir aspired to the heavens, Mr. Badawi focuses firmly on the soil of his country and the poor who live upon it. Some claimed the contrast was deliberate, and designed to allow Mr. Mahathir to continue to lead from behind the scenes.