COMMENT | It is not anyone’s place to teach senior citizens good manners or how to behave in public, so what came over Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim when he joked about second wives with Russian President Vladimir Putin?

One should not have to remind the PM that as the leader of a sovereign nation, he is expected to hold high standards of decorum. He represents Malaysia and its people.

He was not having a playful banter in a Russian pub with a muzhik (Russian peasant). Nor was he the honorary guest at the AGM of the Obedient Wives Club.

The PM was paying an official visit to the Russian president, and whether you like Putin or not or agree or disagree with his brand of politics, Anwar let the side down with his distasteful and inappropriate joke about second wives.