No More Mr. Nice Guy? Abdullah is putting his own stamp on party politics.

Byline: Lorien Holland

Last October, reflecting on his 22 years in office, Malaysia's then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad credited much of his success to his blunt manner, declaring, "When people are nice and polite they never get anywhere." It was an odd thing to say, especially since his handpicked successor, Abdullah Badawi, is known as the Mr. Nice Guy of Malaysian politics. Long a fixture of the country's political elite, Abdullah is a consummate consensus builder, widely respected as an Islamic scholar and politician good at smoothing over differences. Months ago many predicted the soft-spoken leader would be easily cowed by his predecessor's powerful cronies and that Mahathir's shadow would render him weak and ineffectual. But as he marks his 100th day in office this week, Malaysia's new prime minister is showing he may be made of sterner stuff.

Abdullah has wasted no time in putting his stamp on the political scene. In December lucrative contracts handed out in the final days of Mahathir's reign were politely but firmly put on hold. In January Abdullah promised to combat corruption by opening the bidding process on big infrastructure projects, eliminating a system that had favored those with close government ties. In a nod to the nation's finely balanced ethnic mix, he broke ranks with his predecessors and sent Christmas cards to Malaysian church leaders. Even frigid relations with Singapore--one of the most negative legacies of Mahathir's tenure--look to be thawing. "He has done very well so far," says political analyst and former opposition leader Chandra Muzaffar. "He's addressed concerns which are uppermost in people's minds."

To be sure, Abdullah is still basking in the glow of being Malaysia's first new leader in more than two decades. The mood is upbeat--the economy grew by more than 4.5 percent in 2003--and he has avoided any serious political stumbles since taking office. His appointment last month of Najib Abdul Razak as deputy prime minister will bolster him further. Najib is popular within Abdullah's ruling party, the United Malays National Organization, whose elders the prime minister needs on his side.

But dangers remain, and many emanate from UMNO itself. With their entrenched hierarchies and patronage systems, many UMNO party members will not look kindly on Abdullah's push to curb some of the corrupt practices of old. Party elections are often more fiercely fought than general elections, and the prime minister may face his most serious opposition when the party convenes in June, particularly from middle-ranking ...