Kuala Lampur, Feb. 1 -- For the first time in decades, Malaysia may be entering a genuine golden age of anti-corruption enforcement. Not because corruption has disappeared.

Not because Malaysians have suddenly become immune to abuse of power.

But because the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has begun to think and act strategically under the Unity Government.

Recent remarks by Azam Baki, Chief Commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, mark an important shift in how corruption is now understood.

By describing five of Malaysia's most developed states as "gold mines" for investigation, Azam Baki was not celebrating corruption.

He was stating a hard truth: where economic activity is densest, corruption risks are...