Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon said seat distribution among BN component parties for the coming general election ideally should not be discussed openly.

"That's my opinion. Discussing it in the open would only diminish support and sour relations among the components. If all parties behave positively, we won't be fighting over it," he told reporters, here, today.

On his recent statement that Gerakan would insist on contesting the Bachang state seat in Malacca, he said he was merely responding against negative comments hurled at the party.

Melaka BN chairperson Mohd Ali Rustam had openly hinted that the candidacy for Bachang, which was Gerakan's seat since 1995 until it was wrested by the DAP in 2008, should not be given to the party to contest in the next election.

To a suggestion that his announcement not to contest in the coming general election would be used as a weapon for the opposition to attack him, he said: "I'll let them attack me, I will answer."

On the Penang BN chairmanship which he would possibly relinquish, he said:  "Suffice to say, all parties must abide by the BN constitution on the appointment."

- Bernama