KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi is proving to be a kinder, gentler, but no less candid, thoughtful and thought-provoking version of his mercurial predecessor.
The soft-spoken devout Muslim leader has surprised critics and supporters alike by taking an exceptionally firm stand against corruption and extremism since replacing Dr. Mahathir Mohamad last October and especially since winning an unprecedentedly-large mandate in this March's general elections. He has also delivered the type of pointed criticisms of both the West and the Islamic world for which his predecessor was noted, but without the deliberately racist, anti-Semitic invectives that served to largely overshadow Mahathir's otherwise important message.
Speaking before an international audience at the 18th Asia-Pacific round table in Kuala Lumpur on June 1, Badawi observed that many Muslims were "in denial," refusing to acknowledge that "Islamic teachings have been corrupted by some groups to serve their militant cause." Killing innocent civilians is neither just nor legitimate, Badawi asserted: "Nothing can make a virtue out of the massacre of innocent men, women, and children."