Since Indonesia gained its independence seven decades ago, one seemingly unsolvable problem has been rice, the national staple that has become, over the years, both an economic as well as a political commodity. Governments come and go, but inevitably all of them have had to face, at one time or another, the challenges of efficiently managing the supply and demand of rice.

There has been no evidence that money has passed into the hands of the leader of NasDem Party, a member of the ruling coalition. But the testimony of North Sumatra Governor Gatot Pujo Nugroho and former Nasdem Secretary-General Patrice Rio Capella chargess that Surya knew about the bribery. Surya's message to Patrice about being 'careful' shows his blessing or secret approval of the transaction.

The banning of Lentera, a student magazine, by the Salatiga Satya Wancana Christian University authorities was an overreaction. This type of ban should not happen at a university, which should uphold academic liberty and freedom of expression.

The vandalism and burning of the Indonesian Huria Christian (HKI) churches in Aceh should shame our country's leaders. As the administrators of the state, they have once again failed to preserve interfaith harmony. And this is not the first time.

The battle being waged by former tax director general Hadi Poernomo can pose a serious threat to our attempts at eradicating corruption. He has already reduced the authority of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigators through a pre-trial hearing over a corruption case at Bank Central Asia. Hadi won, and his status as a suspect was revoked.

The government's pride should not get in the way of importing rice if we really need to do so. There must be no fear of being accused of failing to achieve the self-sufficiency target. Forget self-sufficiency for a while, the fact is that we are still unable to prevent shortages of our main staple food. So, there's no other way but to import rice, if it's necessary. Importing would not mean being against local farmers. The interest of the public, particularly those in the lower rungs, those who are vulnerable to the rise in the prices of basic needs, must be made a priority.