Statement by the founder of Kawal Kepakaran · October 9, 2026

Not a Blacklist

On 1 October 2023, Ibrahim Arief wrote on X about a personal “never-hire list”, kept as a reminder of profiles never to be considered for hiring. According to the thread, the list stays private on legal advice, and leaders are encouraged to keep their own versions as a duty to the organisations they lead. The thread was viewed hundreds of thousands of times.

I am not writing this to dispute anyone's right to choose whom to hire. That is every leader's right. I am writing because the thread shows clearly what I do not want to build.

A hidden list holds power without responsibility. The people on it do not know why, cannot reply, cannot ask for a correction, and no one can check whether the list is right. If every leader keeps a list of their own, small injustices become thousands, invisible and unanswerable.

Kawal Kepakaran takes the opposite road. We test the claims of people who offer their expertise to the public, and everything is open:

1. We check claims, not people. What is tested is what is said in public.
2. Every verdict names its source. No evidence, no verdict.
3. We write what is not proven. Every claim carries its own limits.
4. “Cannot yet be verified” is a legitimate verdict, and it is not an accusation.
5. Those named have the right to reply. The reply is published as received, unedited.
6. Our mistakes can be corrected. The code is open; anyone may send evidence that supports or disputes a claim.
7. We do not punish. What we publish is notes and opinion, not a court ruling. The presumption of innocence applies to everyone.

One thing I state because it is relevant. According to Niaga.asia, the Central Jakarta District Court sentenced Ibrahim Arief to 4 years in prison on May 12, 2026 in the Chromebook procurement case, and the Jakarta High Court increased the sentence to 5 years on August 31, 2026. The article does not say whether the ruling is final, so I write “sentenced”, not “terpidana” (the Indonesian term for someone whose conviction is final). I do not use the ruling to judge the thread, and I do not use the thread to judge the ruling. The principles above apply the same to anyone. The person named also has the right to reply, and any reply will be published as received.

Our list differs from a blacklist in one decisive way: anyone can read it, dispute it and correct it, including the people on it.

Rahmat Wibowo, founder of Kawal Kepakaran

Every expert named has the right to reply through the right of reply. Read our method.