KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has ordered doctors to stay away from his bedside while he eats- a sure sign that he is on the mend after surgery, his daughter said Monday. Mahathir, 82, had surgery eight days ago following a second heart bypass operation on September 4. Marina, his daughter, revealed that Mahathir had asked to eat in private. The “fervent clapping and cheering following successful completion of meals has led Mahathir to feel like everyone’s treating him like a performing seal. Not exactly a position he’s used to. Thus the ban,” she wrote on her blog. “Such bossiness, however, is considered a sign that things are almost back to normal,” Marina added. The National Heart Institute, where Mahathir remains in intensive care, said the former premier was now strong enough to sit in a chair. 