The aftermath of a breakup involving President Joko Widodo’s youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep, has inadvertently taught Indonesians the meaning of popular dating term “ghosting,” as he allegedly did exactly that to his ex-girlfriend of five years, Felicia Chew, whose mother took to Instagram to dish out what went on behind the scenes.
Private details about Kaesang and Felicia’s relationship were widely discussed online over the weekend after Felicia’s mother Meilia Lau shared on Instagram her side of the story, all while tagging both Kaesang and Jokowi in her now-viral posts.
As Kaesang and Felicia trended on social media, the word “ghosting” also rose up the charts, with many in the country politely wondering what the term actually means.
This weekend I just learnt that Kaesang is the Indonesian’s term for ghosting. For those who don’t know what is #ghosting, it is the easiest yet most cowardly method for couple breakups. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/9Hc3sigN9M
— elivie (@elivie) March 7, 2021
The former couple met during their studies at Singapore University of Social Science (SUSS), and the two graduated in October 2019. They were always public about their relationship, but news of their breakup was first reported last month after they appeared to have unfollowed each other on Instagram.
In the first post, Meilia wrote that Kaesang had promised to take care of Felicia during their studies in Singapore and asked for the family’s blessings for marriage late last year. However, Meilia said that Kaesang grew increasingly distant and disappeared in January, only for them to find out about his new relationship from gossip account Lambe Turah.
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“No one really knows who their soulmate is. But if they were indeed soulmates and they had been holding their sacred promise in the past five years, and apparently someone really wanted to take away another person’s happiness. That person was an employee who was trusted by my daughter Felicia. Where is your heart, young woman?” Meilia wrote in the second post.
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The alleged new girlfriend, identified as Nadya Arifta, is reportedly an MC and employed at the PR department of PT Harapan Bangsa Kita, the holding company of Kaesang’s F&B ventures such as Sang Pisang and Ternakopi.
“I posted this because we have been patient for too long. Felicia has been patient enough. Don’t show [everyone] such shameful behavior,” Meilia wrote in the third post.
Additionally, Felicia’s older brother Daryl Chew also spoke up in support of his sister through a video titled Treating Women with Dignity and Respect, which was uploaded to the former’s YouTube channel.
“As a brother and a man, I do not condone such behavior. I am disgusted by this man’s behavior and to the manner in which he has treated my sister. […] And trust me, we have tried all ways and means to reach out to this man and his family,” Daryl said in English, addressing Kaesang and his family without calling them by their names.
“You walk into my family, asking for my sister’s trust and love, then you jolly well return her in a manner that she rightfully deserves as a respected woman. Be a man, act like one, and do the right thing. The people are watching.”
As the matter involves a member of the president’s family, Presidential spokesman Ali Mochtar spoke up against Meilia yesterday.
“They’re already adults and communicate as friends, best friends, so that means that no one should bring up the name of President Jokowi in this matter, because this is not the parents’ business,” Ali told reporters.
Kaesang has offered his side of the story via an interview, a short clip of which has circulated widely today.
“It’s a private matter, right, why did they have to air the dirty laundry? It’s unethical,” Kaesang said in the video.
“So here’s how it went, I actually told her to end our relationship in mid-January, and that time I was yelled at. But alright, I kept my silence,” Kaesang said before leaving his seat.
