KUALA LUMPUR – Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) Pengkalan Batu candidate, Jason Tze-Xi Nathan, was nearly prevented from casting his ballot this morning after a polling station chief fell for a false viral WhatsApp message claiming candidates are barred from voting.
The hiccup occurred at about 9 am at SMK Agama Sultan Muhammad in Batu Berendam, just as Nathan — a registered voter in the constituency — was being handed his ballot paper.
“He was unsure if candidates were allowed to vote, because he saw a message in a WhatsApp group chat stating that candidates cannot vote.
“So he needed to confirm the matter with a superior,” Nathan told FMT, adding that the matter was swiftly resolved and he was eventually allowed to cast his ballot.
Despite the brief hold-up, Nathan said he did not fault the presiding officer for the mix-up, noting that the official was young and likely serving in the role for the first time.
Nathan is locked in a four-cornered battle for the Pengkalan Batu state seat against Barisan Nasional’s Siti Aisyah Mahmood, Bersatu’s Datuk Norhizam Hassan Baktee, and Parti Bersama Malaysia’s Goh Han Koon. – November 14, 2026