WHENEVER a problem erupts in Egypt, we hear voices that call for the creation of a new ministry to tackle the dilemma - as if the present Government, already stuffed with a large number of ministers, is incapable of settling such troubles. After a dramatic setback in the national project for development in Sinai (launched in 1997, to be completed in 2017), those voices called for the creation of a special ministry to shoulder some of the responsibility for the development of the Peninsula, with the main goal of launching projects to help attract some 2-3 million citizens from the Nile Valley to settle in Sinai. Similarly, when conflicts erupted between Egypt and the other Nile Basin countries over the distribution of the Nile water rights, analysts attributed it to the weakness and long neglect of Egypt's ties to its African neighbours, and we again heard voices calling for the creation of a new ministry focusing on enhancing ties with the African countries in general and the Nile Basin countries in particular. Those advocating such remedies neglect some important facts, the first of which is that the failure in tackling these important issues is not due to a lack of governmental bodies, but rather the absence of a clear vision for settling these matters. The second important fact is that the creation of new ministries for settling these files and others to come means enhancing the existing isolation between the different ministries, most of which already work as if they are on isolated islands from one another. All that we need to speed up the development programme in Sinai is for the Government to adopt a clear strategy for that goal, and to have the Prime Minister distribute responsibilities among different members of his Cabinet, with everyone shouldering his responsibility without conflicting with the missions of other ministries. In dealing with the Nile water rights matter, it is unwise to seek co-operation with countries such as Ethiopia without considering the creation of some joint electricity projects that might forestall the creation of dams on the river that would adversely affect Egypt's quota of water. Similarly, the Minister of Trade could turn his sights towards these countries to help meet Egypt's needs for meat and agriculture crops to help enhance foreign trade.
