Government companies are great — profitable and responsible corporate citizens who don’t need to be privatized. So claimed the ministry of public enterprises last night. So call off the sales of ENPPI and BdC, y’all, okay?

Privatization? We don’t need no stinking privatization: Public Enterprises Minister Ashraf El Sharkawi tried to convince Al Nahar TV’s Akher Al Nahar that the privatization of public-sector companies is unnecessary, since nine of them have posted EGP 4.409 bn in profits so far this year. The minister said the holding companies also raked in EGP 1.7 bn in profits last year, up from EGP 323 mn in losses (watch, runtime 54:32).

Over on Hona Al Asema, the name of the game was misleading medicine ads on television. MP Ayman Aboul Ela went on a rant about unregistered pharma companies not facing any hurdles in advertising their products on television and distributing them on the interwebs. Doctors’ Syndicate board member Khaled Samir said a law to regulate medical ads is long overdue — and that regulatory authorities are responsible in the meantime for keeping companies in check (watch, runtime 39: 49).