‘I am voting for the betterment of my hometown’ – prison officer

Aug 23, 2025 News

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Kaieteur News – A 20-year-old first-time voter and member of the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) on Friday expressed that her vote will help to bring about positive change in her Region 9 community.

Stephanie Opi, who joined the GPS just four months ago, cast her vote at the Georgetown Prison’s Administrative Building. Speaking with Kaieteur News on Friday, she said her decision to vote was driven by her desire to see better development in her hometown, despite not being deeply involved in politics.

“I’m not really used to politics, but I voted because I hope for better development, especially in my hometown,” Opi shared.

She also revealed that she had made the difficult decision to leave her family behind in Region 9 and relocate to the prison service’s living quarters to pursue a better future for herself and her loved ones.

Though she admitted to being nervous, Opi said the voting process was straight forward. “It was a smooth process for me. It didn’t give me a hard time, but I had to make a choice,” she said.

Meanwhile, Director of Prisons (ag) Nicklon Elliot was the first to cast his vote, arriving just before 06:00 hrs. The other prison officers followed thereafter.

Speaking to the media after voting, Elliot said, “I am very honoured and pleased to have fulfilled my constitutional responsibility as the head of the Guyana Prison Service. My colleagues have joined me in this process, and we expect all prison officers to cast their votes within the next two hours. We’re a small team with just about 500 officers.”

Elliot commended the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) staff for their professionalism and efficiency. “The voting process was very simple. I want to commend the staff of GECOM they were very much professional in terms of explaining the process to me.”

He also explained that special protocols were put in place to ensure that the prison’s operations remained unaffected during the voting period. “Today (Friday), we have all staff on duty. We have a special detail where staff will be staggered so it would not affect the operations of the prison, so everyone will be given the opportunity to cast their vote at Lusignan, Georgetown, Timehri and all the other location,” Elliot noted.

Elliot assured that he respects all prison officers who cast their votes, regardless of which party they chose to support. He stated, “All officers will be given the opportunity to cast their vote. They have a choice, and whatever that choice is, I respect it. It’s free and voluntary and it’s their constitutional right.”

Additionally, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Guyana Prison Service, Rajiv Bisnauth, reported that the voting process proceeded smoothly across all locations. He confirmed that a significant number of officers had already voted within two hours after the opening of polls and that communications with the commanders at the Mazaruni, New Amsterdam, and Timehri prisons indicated no issues during the process. “So far everything went smoothly, a number of officers have casted their ballots,” he told Kaieteur News on Friday.

Voting took place at five designated polling stations across the country, including: the Georgetown Prison Administrative Building at Camp and Durban Streets, Timehri Prison Officers Sports Club, New Amsterdam Prison Officers Sports Club, Mazaruni Prison Officers Sports Club, and the Lusignan Prison’s Administrative Building.

Each station had one polling place where officers cast their ballots.

Throughout the day, as officers cast their votes, no disruptions were reported. Officers spent no more than 15 minutes at the polling stations due to the staggered voting schedule and the limited number of officers.

After casting their votes, several prison officers shared their experience with Kaieteur News.

Prison Officer Oxford said, “The process was smooth. I’m hoping that peace and prosperity prevail during this time.”

Reflecting on her moment at the ballot box, she added, “I was thinking about which party to vote for.” When asked about her hopes for leadership and improvements for herself, her family, and the country as a whole, she said, “I hope that they continue to do the work that they are doing.”

Prison Officer Lancaster, who is voting for the third time, said he approached the polling station confidently knowing who to vote for. “The voting process today was smooth. Nothing much went through my mind because I already know who I’m voting for,” he said. On his expectations, he added, “What I think is that even though we as public servants are putting in our vote, whosoever becomes leader, we must do the right thing because at the end of the day our votes matter,” he said.

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• betterment, Elections, Guyana Prison Service, hometown, Nicklon Elliot, Region 9, voting

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