The market is being manipulated through the creation of false shortages that drive up demand and allow suppliers to boost prices, with consumers forced to accept the markups simply because they’re thankful the given commodity is even available, Mahmoud Khalil writes in a column penned for El Watan. In that setup, the government, which should be responsible for supplying citizens with commodities, is instead overrun with corruption or carelessness, Khalil says.

Tags: