Egypt's new minister of youth says he will implement the carrot and stick policy. Inas Mazhar reports on what awaits Following less than a week in office, Egypt's new minister of youth called for a meeting with the media. "It's not a press conference," said. "Just a friendly gathering. We have to get to know each other because we will be working together for the coming 13 months. You are more experienced than myself in the field; that's why I decided to meet you so early." El-Fiqi said the meeting would entail "only discussions, a dialogue. There will be no questions, only suggestions and comments from your side. I will be listening and commenting as well, but I will not be making any statements because it is too early." El-Fiqi, 44, said he began working in earnest immediately after taking the oath of office in the presence of President Hosni Mubarak. "For the past several days, I have been reading heaps of documents and papers, studying every single detail. It will take some time before any changes or decisions are made. These past few days have made me aware of so many issues regarding youth. I noticed the many improvements made by [former minister] Alieddin Hilal but unfortunately, it wasn't highlighted by the media so nobody knew about this progress except a few, probably those who were involved." In his second day at work, last week Thursday, the minister, who is a father of two boys and a girl, paid a few youth centres unexpected calls. "I asked my driver how long he had been in the ministry. He said he had worked for three ministers since the eighties. So I told him, 'you know all the youth centres in the country. Take me to them.' "We visited three. The first two were almost deserted. Nobody knew me until I introduced myself. Everything was a mess -- no playgrounds, no library, nothing. I was shocked. "But the third centre amazed me because of the efficiency of its manager. I found him monitoring all its activities. Many youngsters were in the football pitch, in the swimming pool and the library. It made me proud." El-Fiqi said he decided on the spot to allocate LE190,000 for restoring the centre's football playground. "I promised them to return and watch them again when the playground is completed." Officials at two more centres subsequently visited by the minister might not be treated as nicely. "It's a system of incentives. Punishment should be meted out. Everyone should be given what he deserves," the minister pointedly told his listeners. The minister said that apart from problems of youth, which he was well-acquainted with, he was also aware of some sports issues. "Like all Egyptians interested in sports I, too, follow sports issues but I am not involved deeply in them, the national team, etc. But I am really busy now, studying all details concerning sports in Egypt." In the two-hour meeting, the minister said he was sorry, like all Egyptians, that Egypt had failed in its bid to host the 2010 World Cup. But the case, according to El-Fiqi, is closed. "To be honest, I will not deal with any former issue. I have no time for that. We all know the reasons [for the loss] but the case was closed in the parliament and I am not going to open it here. I know it was a bitter experience for all Egyptians, but it's not my responsibility to judge former officials. There are other problems that need to be resolved." However, the minister said the media had every right to continue writing about the 2010 failure if they chose to. "It's your job and I have no objections. Actually, I would appreciate it if you presented me a paper concerning the issue, the reasons [for the failure] and how to avoid something like this in the future. I promise to read it but I can't promise I will make any decisions." El-Fiqi, who has been working in the Ministry of Culture for the past three years, said that since he wasn't ready to look back he would be looking forward to the 2006 African Nations Cup, scheduled to be held in Cairo. "That's the real challenge for me. January 2006 is what we should be looking at. The African Nations Cup should be our top priority and our answer to the world that we are capable of organising and running a perfect World Cup. We want the opening ceremony of the AFC to be spectacular, to show the world that if we had organised a World Cup, this would have been the opening ceremony.
