Finland will hold parliamentary elections on Sunday. According to the latest polls, the Center Party is well ahead with the National Coalition Party (NCP) and Perussuomalaiset (PS)* trailing in second and third place, respectively. The Social Democrats are in fourth place.
Migrant Tales has tirelessly reported on the ongoing anti-immigration debate in Finland daily since 2011. Since Finland is our home and will be that of our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, do not vote for xenophobic candidates and parties that exclude migrants and minorities. We need them like a hole in the head.
In light of the parliamentary elections, the Red Cross asked Finland’s parties in parliament if they supported offering health care to undocumented migrants. All political parties except for two, the PS and Muutos 2011, believed that undocumented migrants should receive health care.
While you think that the latter question only applies to undocumented migrants it says a lot about what kind of a society we are and want to be. Do we want to build a society where people are classified and treated according to their ethnic and cultural background or one that fosters mutual respect?
That I believe is the big question we should be asking when we vote on Sunday.
Go to this link if you want to read more about the candidates seeking reelection and whom you should not vote for. This is not an endorsement by My Finland is International.
True, all parties in Finland have their share of xenophobic and racist candidates. Some of them, however, like the Perussuomalaiset,* have a big concentration of these types of candidates. But let’s not fool ourselves there are intolerant politicians in all Finnish parties.
One way of building a better Finland for ourselves and future generations is by voting on Sunday.
Vote for an open and tolerant Finland not one built on social exclusion and hatred.
* The Finnish name for the Finns Party is the Perussuomalaiset (PS). The English names of the party adopted by the PS, like True Finns or Finns Party, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and xenophobia. We therefore prefer to use the Finnish name of the party on our postings.
You may call them euphemistically undocumented migrants, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are illegally here and don’t have any right to be here. Why on earth should we provide more than emergency healthcare to them instead of just deporting them?
PS Voter, nobody is illegal. They are in our opinion undocumented migrants. That’s what they are called on this blog.
I didn’t say they are illegal or that they are illegal immigrants. I said that they are illegally here and that is a pure fact instead of opinion. No word plays change that fact.