I refer to the Malaysiakini report Gov't DC charm offensive goes behind closed doors .

I, for the world of me, cannot fathom why on earth the ‘Three Musketeers-with-two-missing-in- action’ would go all the way to Washington to explain to America that good governance and rule of law does indeed make Malaysia home of the brave and land of the free?

Did Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz and the other two actually think that the US suffers a dearth of news on the reality of life in Malaysia, that they had to come as wise men from the East bearing gifts of truth and revelation to help America realise the judicial paradise that Malaysia is?

If the theme was ‘Openness and Transparency’, why was the event off the record? To show America that Malaysia ‘can't be beat’, as the Americans would say, when it comes to contradiction?

And despite all its efforts, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies could rustle up only 40 miserable attendees, of whom about half were Malaysians or Malaysian Embassy staff. I wonder what this gig cost and how much the organisers were paid.

Two things about this bird-brained adventure makes me squirm in discomfort. Firstly, should a judge, even if no longer a sitting one, lend his name and status to such a bare-faced political propaganda operation?

I thought judges should be above such slimy issues till death do us part. Secondly, I cannot believe that PKR's Wee Choo Keong really went along on this holiday trip. For what exactly was his role?

I can understand his tagging along if the junket was for the mythical ‘national interest’ but it was not. It was merely an effort to get Umno's bottom off the burner and Wee's inclusion in the team simply gave some measure of credence to the laughable venture.

The mind boggles to think that a PKR member does this especially at a time when the party needs some serious work done on its image.

The whole visit was an absolute waste; if only they had taken along ex-Selangor menteri besar Mohd Khir Toyo's maid, they could have at least seen Disneyland.