Gerakan today called on its Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition partner Umno to stop interfering in the party's internal affairs.

Gerakan secretary-general Chia Kwang Chye said Umno should stop commenting on rumours pertaining to an internal problem in Gerakan's Kepong division.

"Kepong Gerakan is okay, we are not facing any internal problems, not like what (the rumours) that have been flying around or what is said by Umno," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby.

The veteran politician said these were merely speculations.

Chia was responding to reports about a request made by the Kepong Umno division that Gerakan should make way for MCA to contest in the constituency during the next general election.

While MCA is a Chinese-based BN party, Gerakan is a multiracial party which is predominantly made up of Chinese members.

On Sunday, Kepong Umno division chief Ridzuan Abdul Hamid claimed that the change was vital as the Gerakan candidate Ma Woei Chyi had failed in two attempts (1999 and 2004) to wrest the seat away from opposition DAP.

This was supported by Kepong MCA division deputy chief Ong Teck Eng, who believed that his party stood a better chance of winning in the predominantly Chinese constituency.

However, Chia, who is also deputy information minister, said there were no reasonable arguments to show which party was stronger since the parties contested under the BN banner.

"The matter here is not to discuss which party is stronger in which constituency, because no one can determine who is stronger," he added.

He said this is because in the eyes of the voters, BN component parties were not seen as individual parties but as part of the ruling coalition.

What is their motive?

Meanwhile, when asked to comment on Umno Bandar Tun Razak division's request for MCA to allow an Umno candidate to contest in that constituency, Chia said:

"I don't know what is their (Umno) excuse or motive behind all these requests and demands to ask for a change."

To another question, he said Gerakan would seriously consider the possibility of exchanging the two seats (Kepong and Bandar Tun Razak) if MCA made a proposal.

In a related development, Gerakan vice-president Dr S Vijayaratnam said it was not appropriate for BN component party division chiefs to make candidate change proposals via the media.

"Such suggestions are best forwarded to the BN supreme council for discussion," he added in a statement.