MEMBER of Parliament for Barataria /San Juan Fuad Khan yesterday claimed employees of the Elections and Boundaries Commission who are also supporters of the ruling PNM Government were deleting the names of hundreds of his supporters.

Khan revealed this at a news conference to launch a new initiative called the Office of Strategic Services and his 2002 general election campaign.

He said that based on the latest voters list which was released at the start of this month some 800 names have been added to the list in his constituency while an equal number of UNC supports were deleted.

Asked if that development meant gave credence to the claim that there was padding of the list previously, Khan said: “No, it gives credence to the claim that the PNM has padded and are padding more now.

“What is happening is that the people who work for the EBC deleted names in the UNC areas.”

Khan said “a lot of them (the EBC employees) are supporters of the PNM. So you don’t expect supporters of the PNM to delete PNM voters, do you?”

He added that “most” of the employees who work at the EBC are PNM supporters. “UNC supporters don’t get many jobs as field officers and field agents in the EBC.”

Asked what steps he was taking to ensure the voters were put back on the list Khan said if it was found they were permanently removed they would be re-registered.

Earlier he announced the establishment of a new agency called the Office of Strategic Services.

He said the OSS—a new constituency initiative —will act as a coordinating body and will be responsible for communications and research, voter registration and the monitoring of voter movement and other matters.

The OSS, Khan added, will not replace the MP’s office, constituency executive or any other party organ.

He said this initiative was developed after UNC leader Basdeo Panday advised all MPs to do whatever was required to win the next election.