Kaesang Pangarep
Photo: setda.bogorkab.go.id, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons14

Kaesang Pangarep

3rd Chairman of the Indonesian Solidarity Party

Kaesang Pangarep (born 25 December 1994) is an Indonesian politician, entrepreneur, and YouTuber. He is the third and youngest child of former Indonesian president Joko Widodo.2

From Wikipedia’s article on Kaesang Pangarep (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Dec 25, 1994.1

About

In September 2023, he was appointed as chairman of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI).

He is currently the owner of Liga 1 football club Persis Solo along with Erick Thohir.

From Wikipedia’s article on Kaesang Pangarep, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Companies

Early life and education

  • Date not recordedAnglo-Chinese School3

He graduated from ACS International in Singapore with an International Baccalaureate diploma, and Singapore University of Social Sciences.

From Wikipedia’s article on Kaesang Pangarep (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: entrepreneur, television producer, politician.6

Entertainment career

He became popular as a blogger called 'diary anak kampung' or 'mister kacang' in 2011. His writing style is considered creative and funny, which explores his personal life and his relation with his family.

Since 2016, Kaesang has been active on YouTube, and many of his videos went viral because of his sense of humor. His YouTube vlogs became popular; as of May 2017, he had more than 270,000 subscribers. Because of Kaesang's influence, Jokowi created his own YouTube vlog called #JKWVLOG, which gained popularity after posting Jokowi's lunch with King Salman. Kaesang also appeared in the Indonesian television show Mata Najwa to explain his life as the son of Indonesia's president. In 2017, Kaesang released a single song called 'Bersatulah' to promote unity and tolerance among Indonesia's citizens. Kaesang Pangarep made a cameo appearance in the Indonesian movie Cek Toko Sebelah.

Business career

Kaesang is active in the culinary business, owning a chain of banana-centered outlets operating in several cities in Indonesia. He also created a clothing line, featuring images of tadpoles. In addition, he is active as a marketer in a 2017-launched startup called Madhang, which works with culinary SMEs and households. In 2019, he co-founded GK HEBAT, a business incubator focusing on SMEs in the culinary sector. He became the company's CEO. Among other investments, the firm took an 8 percent stake in a publicly listed frozen shrimp products company for Rp 92 billion (~USD 6.5 million).

From Wikipedia’s article on Kaesang Pangarep (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Personal life

  • BornDec 25, 1994, Surakarta7
  • CitizenshipIndonesia8
  • SpouseErina Gudono married 20229

Kaesang married Indonesian model Erina Gudono in Yogyakarta, Special Region of Yogyakarta, on 10 December 2022. Their first child, a daughter named Bebingah Sang Tansahayu, was born on 15 October 2024.

From Wikipedia’s article on Kaesang Pangarep (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Politics

2023 Depok mayoral election

In 2023, Kaesang stated his intention to run as mayor of Depok in the 2024 mayoral election.

Indonesian Solidarity Party

The Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) voiced its support for Kaesang shortly afterwards, along with the Gerindra Party. He officially became a member of PSI on 23 September 2023, and was appointed as party chairman two days later.

2024 Indonesian general election

PSI took part in the 2024 Indonesian general election under Kaesang's leadership. The party failed to secure any seats in the national House of Representatives, although they managed to secure over double the number of Regional Houses of Representatives seats won in 2019.

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2024 potential gubernatorial candidacy

After the general election, Kaesang was named as a potential candidate for mayoral elections in Bekasi and Surabaya, in addition to Depok. He was also initially considered as a candidate for the Jakarta gubernatorial election, but did not meet the age requirements – Kaesang would be 29 years and 11 months on the date of the election at 27 November 2024, while the minimum age was 30. However, on 30 May 2024, the Supreme Court of Indonesia ruled that the age limitation applied to the date of taking office, not the date of election.

From Wikipedia’s article on Kaesang Pangarep (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.