Former premier Mahathir Mohamad will rest for the next few days and will not attend public functions until after next week, according to his personal aide Sufi Yusof.

Mahathir was discharged last Thursday from the National Heart Institute after recovering from a heart attack.

Other than receiving a possible courtesy call by Kuwaiti prime minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmed al-Sabah tomorrow, Mahathir is not expected to see anyone else.

"His scheduled is cleared for the next few days. There's nothing major scheduled," said Sufi.

He said the former premier still occasionally comes to the Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrajaya.

"Today he was in the office. He still comes in once in a while," said Sufi.

When contacted today, Mokhzani Mahathir said his father was "okay" and confirmed that he is unlikely to be in the public eye any time soon.

Prior to the attack, Mahathir was scheduled to speak at the Nikkei Conference in Tokyo, held for a week from last Monday. He was also to receive an honorary doctorate from Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, where he serves as adviser.

The attack, the second in seven months, was initially attributed by family members to exhaustion. Doctors said breathing problems were caused by lung congestion associated with a heart attack.

Released after chest physiotherapy and light exercises, doctors said Mahathir was not in any danger.

'Classic Mahathir'

Mahathir had a heart attack last November, which temporarily halted his public criticism of premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Despite the recent attack, academician and former Parti Rakyat Malaysia deputy president Rustam Sani felt that Mahathir is not likely to tone down his criticism.

"I don't think he will back down. I think the tone of attack is still there. It's still classic Mahathir," he told malaysiakini .

"I think as long as he is physically able to, he will continue to criticise regardless of whether or not people agree with him or whether he has the moral credentials."

Rustam felt that "people are still willing to take him seriously" despite a slew of contradictions in Mahathir's remarks.

"Whenever he brings up weaknesses in the government, he's bringing up the wrongs he started. He put those weaknesses in motion," said Rustam.

"The present government is just repeating what he is doing. Whenever this is brought up (in interviews), he'll just deny or say he doesn't know."

However, Rustam said it would be "very important" for the former premier to write his memoirs.

"Whatever one feels about him and his administration of the country, it cannot be denied that it was an important era in many ways.

"It was when good and bad things were introduced. With memoirs, at least we have a record of what he thinks. It would give us a better understanding, although it would not by any means be the final say in history."