“Stereotypes have some truth to them” has some truth to it but not in the way people think. That truth is not about the stereotyped but the stereotyper.
Migrant Tales has warned about how anti-immigration parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS) have launched a vicious campaign against immigrants and visible minorities. The attacks are getting stronger and louder as the municipal elections of October near.
We have read and heard scores of racist blog entries and comments by a number of PS candidates in the past. One of these by Kai Haavisto, a candidate for Espoo city council, stands out like a sore thumb.
His most recent blog on Uusi Suomi offers a solution to Finland’s “refugee problem.” According to him, we should start exporting rice to Africa.
Here are three points he makes on his blog entry:
- He claims (no sources) that with one refugee Finland could purchase annually 300,000 kilos of rice. Instead of paying refugees welfare, use the money to purchase and export rice to Africa. Refugee problem solved.
- Haavisto claims that African men sit under the shade and drink rice wine, play cards and take sun all day. “Women do all the hard work like bring water, firewood, make food and wash clothes,” according to him.
- Refugees should be forced to work. Does Haavisto support slave labor?
Don’t forget to vote for Kai Haavisto!
Thank you Heli Kontio for bringing up this blog entry to my attention again.
Haavisto is plainly bloody clueless. First, the problems of poverty are not uniquely linked to food shortages. Poverty and especially breaking the cycle of poverty is linked to social policy and development. What is required are rights-based institutions, constitutions and political reform that provides opportunity, protection, safety, equality and inclusion. How ironic then that Haavisto, himself enjoying the fruits of all of this in Finland, does not understand that and worse still, seeks to undermine that very system in his home country.
As PS are officially opposed to increasing ODA, one can assume that the only purpose for making this suggestion is to give racists the appearance of a legitimate excuse to oppose increasing ethnic diversity in Finland.
Mark
how do you think having immigrants here will help those problems you listed? Haavisto is right in saying that having immigrant here costs a lot more compared to if he was seeking refuge in the closest safe country/refuge camp. The benefit of having him here will only fall the immigrant himself.
What if those resources would be used for providing opportunities and so on in the immigrants homecountry? Then we would make a difference. Having him here would not.
Mr. Haavisto’s issue seems more a PS problem. Taking the fruits of a wider European society yet blaming the same society for being Europe.
Furthermore, Mr Haavisto should look over his shoulders and find out that he acts like the missionaries of 200 years ago. Plunder the local economies and giving back little mirrors, candies and the like.
Then, Mr Haavisto’s view of what is going on in Africa, Asia looks very much like the Tintin version of comic-books. Rather outdated I would say. People who are going to vote for this man should realise that he is obviously not able to take advantage of the new media. A kind of an illiterate “dombo” of new media.
Last. Mr. Haavisto should have a better look at Finnish society
Hi eyeopener, great to see “read” you after such a long time. I hope you are well.
Haavisto’s views are what people thought in the nineteenth century. Who knows, he may have actually come in a time machine to visit us from that century.
Hi Enrique.
It’s good to be back. And my commitment for the position of all foreigners is unbroken.
Now that in several parts of Europe populism and racism is punished severely the “battle” against revisionism, short-sightness and foul play needs to continue untill these “inhuman thinking” manifestations are “crushed”.
Finland’s coming local elections will show how the Finns think. I am curious and I am waiting!!
In a way he’s gotta a point. WHy help one when you can help 50 000 for the same money.
Humanitarian aid should be looked over. It should be made easier for persons who want to return, for instance for a limited amount of time. Then education must be emphasized for persons moving across boarder in order to preserve a more beneficial policy.
virmamatt
And why not do both? The investment made to enable an adult immigrant to gain relevant training and language skills and to enter the labour force is actually much less than it costs to train a Finn from childhood through to adulthood.
The other issue is that PS are against increasing the development aid budget as far as I know. In fact, they want to reduce it, so this stupid and frankly careless talk about this issue is completely undermined by PS’s own stated policy.
Where he got this figure of 50.000 I really don’t know. Perhaps he is calculating a lifetime of benefits, and not taking account at all of the economic benefit that a migrant can bring to the Finnish economy.
But this really conscience money he’s talking about. Take no responsibility for integrating refugees or other immigrants, while also pursuing a policy of stripping the world of economic talent already paid for and developed by foreign states. Such a policy does not place Finland at the forefront of modern, but rather on the fringes.
Hi Viramatt.
What is his (Haavisto, I guess) point that he has?? 1 against 50.000 That’s not a point. That’s a punter’s position.
What arguments do you have for reviewing humanitarian aid??. Speak out more precise. This is like blablablabla!!
Explain what you mean by: education(what?)must be(for what reasons?) for persons moving across borders(whom do you mean??) in order to preserve more beneficial policy (for whom??)
When critical -which is fine to me- be critical and speak your peace. Now your comment is b——–t!!
one could listen to Haavisto. He is one of the most experienced people Finland has of working in humanitarian stuff.
What o do, how much and for how long time and with whom.
He is perhaps a little underrated in Finland but appreciated abroad.
virmamatt
hahahahahahahahaha….lolololol…..hahahahahaha….oh pick up me up off the floor….lololol….egh, breath, breath…..lololol….hahahahahahaha!
Clueless! And no, he is not one of the most experienced people in Finland working with humanitarian stuff. And I know, I DO work with some of those people!
Here you go, his CV:
Appreciated abroad for his humanitarian stuff? You mean that stuff he did when he was a lorry driver?
Unbelievable!
Humanitarian stuff – you mean like gender equality. This is what Haavisto has to say about women and women’s rights activism.
In other words, he doesn’t have much positive to say about ‘feminist types’. And likewise, he thinks a woman’s place is at home with the kids:
And he makes this patriarchal shit sound all warm and fuzzy by talking about the ‘small child’ being at home in mother’s warm lap!
And this guy is supposed to be a representative of humanitarian goals like ‘equality’? He hasn’t even figured out what gender equality is!
Virmamatt – you are totally clueless!
Back again so soon, Hannu?
You need to distinguish Pekka Haavisto, who is the person you are describing, from Kai Haavisto, who is simply an ignorant moron just like you.
I meant Pekka Haavisto, I mixed up.
You sure did!!!!
You mean you meant Pekka Haavisto when you mentioned the humanitarian stuff, but that Kia Haavisto is still one of your PS budies who you would like to think is saying the right stuff? But who is actually completely ignorant of poverty, development and equality issues, not only abroad, but at home too, as he clearly opposes feminism in Finland, women’s right to work and have babies, etc.
The man is a dinosaur.
🙂 Kia=Kai.
Well, his sexual orientation but he has been around, seen a lot, done alot. Heard a lot too. Actually, he nearly became the president of Finland.
virmamatt
Yep, typo. Not quite on the same scale as your misidentification.
Important to you lot, that one, I know.
Are you still confused? Been around a lot? Yep, in a taxi and a lorry. Really, though, this does not qualify him to talk about matters related to development, which are very specific and have been evolving worldwide, along with the human rights and legislative frameworks, for over 50 years.
Seriously, suggesting that we buy rice for Africans as a solution to African problems is a bit like saying that we could fix the original Cern particle accelerator problems with a soldering iron. I mean, really, it’s that scale of incompetent remark we are talking about.
Humanitarian STUFF!! Humanitarian STUFF!! You really talk about people and their issues as STUFF.
Virmamatt. To me you are nothing than a piece of S…..T when you talk about humans and human conditions like that.
But…… maybe you can learn something from a foreigner. If you want to??