Get your sweet revenge

Consume less sugar. Help thwart the nefarious designs of a vile bunch of bloodsuckers holding this country hostage.

These pages, and publications across the country, are filled everyday with countless accounts of massive corruption, naked graft, official deception and injustices of medieval proportions. Mostly, you and I read these reports, columns and editorials, fume with righteous indignation for as long as it takes to flip the page, then finish our cup of tea and with heavy hearts, a burdened conscience and a weary acquiescence to our powerlessness, we trudge on with the rest of our day.

Well today is different. You have an opportunity to take a stand and make a difference, with minimal effort and no cost. You can help the impoverished millions of your country, enhance your own personal well-being and simultaneously thwart the nefarious designs of a loathsome, vile bunch of bloodsuckers that are holding the impoverished masses of this country hostage.

Since it is now so outrageously expensive, I cannot afford to sugar-coat the following words. Sugar-mill owners, hoarders, distributors, TCP (Trading Corporation of Pakistan) officials, ministers, smugglers, parliamentarians and bureaucrats in government and opposition — who are maliciously restricting sugar supply, causing extortionate price rises — you are squeezing the lifeblood from a poor people already drowning in torrential inflation. The poorest of the poor are suffering the most from the rise in sugar prices to around Rs125 per kg, a 400 per cent increase from Rs25 kg, since this government came to power on the promise of serving the ‘ghareeb awam’.

Poorer households tend to rely on refined white sugar for their daily calorific input. However, now that one kilo of sugar is more expensive than most fruits and vegetables and costs almost as much as two litres of milk, even low-income households should start to switch from sugar to other foods, to meet daily calorie requirements. With long queues at the utility stores, most middle class families will be inclined to reduce consumption also. This behaviour change must be led by higher income educated groups and civil society, who may be more cushioned against high prices but need to take a stand against this illegal price manipulation.

It is a rare occurrence, indeed, when we can actually play an active part in tackling a social menace, instead of just pontificating. Now there is an opportunity to do just that. A drastic reduction in the demand for sugar would not just exact sweet revenge on the sugar mafia, by leaving them with unsold stocks, but would also benefit our nation’s health and economy. Pakistanis consume too much sugar. We go through a coma-inducing 28 kilos per person per year. That’s more than a kilo every month for each individual and almost matches consumption in developed countries, which average around 30 kilos. In comparison, Indians consume 19 kg and the Chinese only 11 kg, per person annually.

In western societies, millions have been spent on research and studies show that sugar is nutritionally valueless and even toxic. Listed as the number one habit to kick by health practitioners, even beating smoking, sugar is now public enemy number one. It causes weight gain, vitamin deficiencies, tooth decay, hormone and insulin imbalances, behavioural problems, mood swings and can be highly addictive. Whether you are rich or poor, young or old, sugar is toxic for your well-being, even contributing to accelerated ageing. In short, dropping the use of this chemically-laden, nutritionally devoid, high-calorie non-food is the best thing you could do for your health. On a national scale, reforming our dietary habits will not just improve our health indicators it will also help the economy by eradicating the need to import sugar.

So as you abstain from sugaring your cup of coffee, you can derive sweet satisfaction from the fact that you are doing your bit to thwart greedy exploitation, as well as improving your own health. Reducing sugar consumption will dampen demand and bring prices down. A widespread boycott of sugar, even for a short period, will send out a strong message to the illegal cartels and dent their ill-gotten gains. This is a real opportunity to take a stand and show solidarity with our fellow citizens — salvation has seldom been just a teaspoon away.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2010.