Interior Minister Mari Rantanen of the Perussuomalaiset party*,
Since the Finnish media won’t ask you critical questions about the tightening of migration policy, I’d like to ask you why are you tightening the screws. Finland needs migrants and, as you know, we are up sh*t creek due to the graying of our population and its cost.

Interioir Minister Mari Rantanen.
Many parts of your migration policy show the worst of Finland. Take for instance changes in the naturalization law, where you are requiring people to live in Finland eight years from the five required now. What about human rights? Aren’t you planning to undermine such a right in the new refoulement law?
I moved to Finland in December 1978. As many children of Finnish parents, I spent my summers with my grandparents. I am grateful for those summers and the opportunity I had to experience the magical summers of Finland.
Compared with the smog and heat of Los Angeles, nothing could compare with those summers.
During that time, I grew up believing that I was a Finn and my plan was to move to this country after completing my university. I even went to the Finnish army about doing my conscription.
One day, however, after returning to live in Finland, I wondered why I had to apply for residence permits periodically. I asked the lady at the aliens’ office, yes, that was what it was called back then, why I had to apply for a residence permit periodically if I was a Finn.
The lady snapped back: “In our opinion, you are not a Finn.”
The reason why I wasn’t considered a Finn was because my father was not a Finn.
I was disappointed and in semi-shock that I was not considered a Finn by the law. As a result, I decided I would not apply for Finnish citizenship for 8-9 years.
Finland brags a lot about gender equality and that Finnish women were the first in Europe to get the right to vote, but forget to say that a Finnish woman did not have the right to pass citizenship to her child.
This changed in 1984, when women, after 66 years after independence, were given the right to pass citizenship to their children. I remember the year because my first child was born in that year.
Back in the 1980s, all people who applied for Finnish citizenship were interviewed by Supo, the Finnish CIA.
I remember the first question that the Supo agent asked me:
“Why do you want to apply for Finnish citizenship?”
“Because it is my right,” I said without trepidation.
Minister Rantanen, by forcing people to wait longer to get Finnish citizenship, what you are doing is delying their possibility to become equal members of society. Such people can vote against you in elections.
Is that the real reason why you want to make it harder for people to get citizenship?
I believe you, your party, and the government are making a big mistake that Finland will pay a dear price. Why do you think our economy is tanking, and why do you think there isn’t enough tax money to pay for our public services?
The answer is simple: not enough people move here and, on top of it, you are making it harder for them to come and stay here.
Your policies are poisoning our country: Its economy, its politics, its society, its good name.
PS By the way, I am ashamed of what this government is doing and have thought about relinquishing my Finnish citizenship on several occasions.
