Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has said there are many other things he would do upon retiring other than “disturb” his successor.

In a 60-minute dialogue with student leaders on Aug 18, Najib said he would occupy himself by doing things that he could not have done while in office.

“Maybe gardening, or watch a Manchester United match. There are a lot of things we can do. Maybe travel to a country I have never been… write a book.

“Why should I disturb my successor? My replacement?” he said in response to a question on how he has been dealing with attacks against his administration, led by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He was also asked for comment on people who insisted on comparing his leadership with Mahathir’s 22-year rule.

A full transcript of Najib’s dialogue with the student leaders who were part of a Kembara Mahasiswa Nasional event was posted on his official blog today.

At the same time, Najib said he would still oblige if his successor were to invite him to have coffee or offer to pay for dinner.

“I will tell him, advise him if necessary… But I will not rebuke him openly. To me that is not the right thing to do.

“We must have an understanding, as a former leader we belong to the select club. That means we must always help each other,” he said.

Najib described such criticisms by a former premier as unfair and something which he claimed never happened in other countries.

“That (understanding) is the way for us to ensure that the country’s administration will go on smoothly and with no interference from former leaders,” he added.

Since quitting Umno in February this year, Mahathir has been leading the anti-Najib movement via the Save Malaysia movement and formation of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).

Mahathir had said Bersatu was founded after the leaders involved accepted the fact that there could be no more room for criticisms against Najib within Umno.