Gerakan deputy president Kerk Choo Ting will be moved from his parliamentary seat in Taiping , Perak, to the new Johor seat of Simpang Renggam as part of key seat realignments that will introduce new faces in almost 50 percent of the party's election line-up.

Several senior party officials have opted out of running this time in state seats. They include former Wanita chief Kee Phaik Cheen (Batu Uban, Penang), Lum Weng Keong (Bukit Lanjan, Selangor), Khoo Chee Wat (Kulai, Johor) and Siew Kok Kan (Kuala Sapetang, Perak).

In 1999, Kerk obtained 24,531 votes to defeat DAP's Dr Lim Kean Ghee and MDP's Ng Hoe Hun. Lim and Ng garnered 20,562 and 637 votes respectively.

Gerakan president Dr Lim Keng Yaik said this morning that the party will be fielding 43 candidates - 12 for parliamentary seats and 31 for state seats.

Of these, at least 12 are from the party's Youth wing and three from its Wanita wing.

However, Lim said no seats have been allocated to Indian Malaysian members despite their recent show of dissatisfaction over the community''s lack of electoral representation.

"The (names of) candidates have been submitted to (Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi). It is now up to the prime minister to announce the final list. It should be announced today or tomorrow.

"The list is probably 99 percent certain but there is still a one percent chance for something to happen in the last moment. There are still last moment discussions," he told a press conference after meeting the potential candidates from all states except Penang and Perak.

Although Lim provided hints into the party's proposed list of candidates, he declined to divulge their identities until tomorrow.

Lim to defend seat

Explaining the selection procedure, Lim said the party had dropped a number of older party hands in favour of fresh candidates.

"Some of them who have served for a long time agreed to withdraw. Some having personal family problems have also withdrawn. And some who have not withdrawn, I have made sure they withdraw, especially when I know they have problems," he said.

Aside from the named state assemblypersons, Lim said three incumbent members of Parliament have also been excluded.

"I lost three (MPs) and got two extra (seats). You can be sure that there will be five new faces for parliament," he added.

Of the remaining seven incumbent MPs, Lim said aside from himself, all other candidates have not served for less than three terms.

"I want to withdraw but the party has convinced me to stay put," he said.

Lim, will be defending the Beruas parliamentary seat where he has served for the past four terms. In 1999, he retained the seat with a narrow majority of 1,455 votes or 5.3 percent of total votes cast.

The party's two other top leaders, Penang Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon ( right ) and party secretary-general Chia Kwang Chye, will also be retained in their respective seats in Penang.

Koh will be defending the Tanjong Bunga state seat and Chia, the Bukit Bendera parliamentary seat.