KUALA LUMPUR: Entrepreneur and popular social media influencer Prince Syed has expressed deep disappointment and anger towards Datuk Seri Vida after the prominent cosmetics mogul named him in a cryptic social media post yesterday.
Prince Syed, 34, whose real name is Syed Muhammad Syah Hasif Syed Othman, found himself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons following a post uploaded by Vida — whose real name is Datuk Seri Hasmiza Othman — on Threads.
The post read: "Doa nak lelaki macam Syed Saddiq sekali dapat Prince Syed...lucu sekali" (Praying for a man like Syed Saddiq but ending up with Prince Syed... so funny).
"My wife and I live happily with our two children and we have no issues with anyone, so why bring up my name?" Prince Syed questioned when contacted.
"I've never bothered her, and in fact, we've never even met."
Busy running his business at an event space in Pasir Gudang, Johor, Prince Syed only became aware of the post after being alerted by his 28-year-old wife, Fatin Syazwani, along with several close friends.
"When I took a break yesterday afternoon, my wife brought the post to my attention. Opening WhatsApp, I saw messages from friends about it, and so many people had tagged me in the post itself. As far as I know, no one else uses the name Prince Syed, so if it's not meant for me, who else could it be?"
He added that he harboured no previous ill will towards Vida and had always enjoyed following her updates online, especially her lighter moments.
But he refused to brush off the post as a harmless joke, pointing out that it only invited public ridicule and hostility towards him.
"I don't find it funny at all because it simply creates space for people to badmouth me in the comments section. Anyone with sound judgment can differentiate between a joke and an insult. There are far too many disparaging comments mocking me, and yet she still hasn't taken the post down."
Seeking answers, Prince Syed reached out directly to Vida via direct message, though he has yet to receive a reply.
"I'm waiting for her reply as I want to know her reason. To me, her statement is humiliating and unacceptable. Netizens have hurled enough insults at me as it is. Today, I'm at a loss for words, and I never expected an influential figure like her to open the floodgates for netizens to attack me."
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