Egyptians retort sarcastically all over social media with comments on Egypt’s newly-appointed Prime Minister Hisham Qandil's announcements regarding the government’s electricity consumption conservation strategy.

"It’s so important to reduce the electricity consumption. This year the rationing is optional but in the long run it will be obligatory," Qandil, the first PM appointed by Muslim Brotherhood’s President Mohamed Morsi, said on Friday in a press conference.

Egypt suffers from an energy shortage this summer, and cutoffs are frequent - almost daily. Business and homes are badly affected, even in the capital, Cairo, and other big cities.

The Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm quotes the Prime Minister in their headline on the press conference: "Qandil demands Egyptians wear cotton clothes and gather in one room to save electricity."

Just minutes after the news spread, Egyptians started to mock Qandil’s statements through the social networks and even hashtagged him in relation to a famous underwear brand, Cottonile on Twitter.

Ahram Online translates and compiles some of the thousands of comments (minus the foul-language):

"Now I know why I am not feeling the renaissance. Of course: it’s because I am wearing polyester," referencing the Muslim Brotherhood's Renaissance project, which was part of their campaign platform. 

“Garbage problem: we should clean, electricity: we should turn off the air conditioners. Does the government have any other problems that people could solve?”

"And what about you and the rest of the ministers? Will you turn off the air conditioners, too?"

"Perfect! We should apply the same rationing system on water, too: let’s shower together."

"Mr PM, thank you for the cotton tip but you didn’t tell us what colour, and does the Brotherhood allow the G-string?"

"Cotton, Qandil? Thank God that the Prime Minister is not Essam El-Erian!"

"All of us with cotton underwear in one room? Sir, what you are asking for is forbidden and unlawful and it shakes the heavens and the earth."

"Wow! Is it permissible in the university, too? Please!"

"The government just reached the peak of ‘transparency’."

"Breaking: Mr Qandil neglects all reports about being a Cottonile fan, insisting ‘I am [a fan of] Dice [another famous Egyptian underwear brand]’"

 "Did he just watch The Danish Experiment [a famous Egyptian movie starred by Adel Emam]? When will we have the nudity day? Brilliant!"

 "My house only has one room, sir!"