COMMENT | It begins like a pub joke: “How many men does it take to change a light bulb?” The answer - three - is funny because it is absurd. Too many hands for a simple twist.

Now cross the joke with Putrajaya’s latest theatre. To investigate whether the anti-corruption chief’s shareholding has exceeded the limits set by the Public Services Department, the government appoints not one, not two, but three from the crème de la crème of the civil service.

In the joke, inefficiency is harmless. At worst, the bulb flickers a little longer. In Malaysia’s case, inefficiency is weaponised. What should be a clear, independent issue of question and answer has become a pantomime of process.

Suddenly, the joke is on us - the absurdity lies in “heavyweights” being involved in an “independent” investigation, especially with answers already in the public domain; it is no longer a laughing matter.

Only two questions must be asked, and both have already been answered...