I am not a Malaysian, and I don't live in Malaysia at present, so the sugar shortage there may be none of my business.

But I do have extensive ties to Malaysia, including a Malaysian spouse of 13 years. There is no sugar shortage in the US, or Europe, or in the Middle East, where I now reside.

Nor have I ever seen a sugar shortage in the many years of living in eight countries around the world - not even in the Middle East, where retailing is inefficient and the best products in the supermarkets are constantly getting sold out for extended periods.

So, something must be very wrong in Malaysia. I won't even go near the car prices in Malaysia, which is a topic already well-covered by malaysiakini .