JASIN, Oct. 18 -- Wawasan will defend the seats won under Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the coming Melaka state election, just as Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) plan to, its president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin said.

He said that if Umno wanted to keep the seats it won, the same principle must apply to Wawasan, Berita Harian reported last night.

"Both the Opposition assemblymen, or former assemblymen, in Melaka are Wawasan members," he was quoted as saying after chairing the party's supreme council meeting here.

"So if Umno says it wants to defend the seats it won, why won't it let me defend the ones we won?"

Hamzah, who is Larut MP, said Wawasan was open to discussing seat swaps if BN wanted constituencies that Wawasan was holding.

"I...