KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 — In defending Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor from criticism, an aide has shot back at former Umno minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim for ridiculing the prime minister’s wife.

According to a report by Malaysiakini, Rosmah’s personal assistant Rizal Mansor accused Zaid of forgetting “his morals” and overlooking her vast contributions to Malaysia.

Rizal stressed that Rosmah’s priority has always been the safety and security of Malaysia and its citizens.

“It is time for Zaid to come out of the shell and accept the fact that Rosmah is a smart and brave Muslim woman.

“She is also very vocal and savvy in making contacts and having close relationship with international VIPs for the sake of making our country’s name famous in the international stage. Is this wrong, Zaid?” Rizal was quoted saying.

In the news report, Rizal pointed out how Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s wife utilised her “maternal instinct” in helping to secure the evacuation of Malaysian students from Egypt and Saudi Arabia during the height of the Arab Spring two years ago.

“He might have forgotten or did not read about our student who were detained in Egypt after being mistaken as a spy.

“Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, without knowing the student, immediately called the wife of Egyptian president at that time (Suzanne Mubarak) and the student was freed two hours later,” Rizal said.

In a blog posting on May 18, Zaid had listed down the necessary criteria for a worthy prime minister.

The former defacto law minister described the qualities that a PM’s wife should not have, such as a lavish lifestyle.

“Come the next General Election, let’s also be careful of the wife of the prime minister we want to select. She must not be the type who wants her own office in Putrajaya. We do not need a First Lady — this is not America [...]

“We do not need a PM’s wife who flaunts her wealth. There is no need to cause further pain to the rakyat, who have seen their spending power dip even lower in the wake of GST,” Zaid added, referring to the Goods and Services Tax (GST).