(Photo Cabinet Handout)
The new government sworn in on Tuesday will be expected to be at their desks by 7am, Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb said at a press conference following the cabinet’s first meeting.
The first cabinet meeting took place, headed by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, immediately after members of the new cabinet were sworn in.
Ghada Wali, newly appointed Minister of Social Solidarity, said the president has asked ministers to start their work early, to reflect that they are active. She added this was also to avoid creating traffic jams with ministerial convoys, in what she described as an “unprecedented” approach by the government to make citizens’ lives easier.
Mehleb said that Al-Sisi gave specific assignments to each of the ministers, with monthly follow-up meetings to be headed by the president.
“Finishing the third milestone of the [post 3 July] road map, establishing security and continuing the economic reform tops our priorities,” the prime minister said.
Mehleb added Al-Sisi is concerned with reestablishing peace and security “as soon as possible” through preemptive security measures, while stressing the government’s inclination for human rights and spotting violations.
The government would also be working on keeping spending to a minimum according to Al-Sisi’s directions who stressed that his government would work on regaining the “state’s prestige”, Mehleb said. The government would also provide for citizens’ needs needs providing food supplies with monitoring prices and sustaining them at rates that would guarantee the rights of vendors and consumers.
Some ministers of the 34-member cabinet spoke about their short term plans, including Minister of Tourism Hisham Zaazou, who explained that he would be focusing on regaining touristic demand, particularly for the upcoming winter season.
Minister of Health Adel Al-Adawi said that his ministry would be mapping diseases across Egypt and prepare a treatment plan accordingly. His focus on spotting negligence in health facilities will continue as before.
Minister of Youth and Sports Khalid Abdel Aziz announced that his ministry plans to renovate 70% of the Youth Centres by the end of 2014. Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Wali said the president stressed the importance of focusing on underserved citizens in remote provinces.
Al-Sisi was sworn in on 8 June, reappointing Mehleb as prime minister on 9 June, immediately after his resignation.
