Self-inflicted problem

(Itse aiheutettu ongelma) Translated by Jasmid Nurmi

When an individual acts foolishly, usually they have to suffer the consequences of their foolishness themselves. When the government of a nation acts foolishly, they can make others suffer for them. Juha Sipilä’s government is particularly skillful in handing off the consequences of their foolishness on to others to suffer.

There are plenty of examples of scapegoats. The retirees, the sick, the unemployed, the low-incomes, the workers on the public sector with small paying jobs and so on and so one. One group that is treated particularly bad is asylum seekers. Now the government is agonizing over the undocumented asylum seekers, and it’s no wonder. After all the whole problem is self-inflicted.

Last spring the parliament approved the government’s bill, that made the requirements on getting a residence visa stricter. Up to that point humanitarian protection had been used as grounds of getting the residence visa if the requirements of being a refugee or the requirements for secondary protection weren’t met but the applicant couldn’t return to their homeland do to poor security situation or a natural disaster.

The section of humanitarian protection was taken off the law. They should and have to go back. They have to go back even if their homeland doesn’t even want to accept the person who left as a refugee. No one bothered to think about the consequences of the decision.

Simultaneously getting secondary protection was made more difficult. This decision wasn’t made by the government itself, instead it put immigration service Migri on the case. Immigration service decided that people can return to all areas of Afganistan, Irak and Somalia without the armed conflicts that are happening there directly posing a threat to the person just because of their presence. So, with one degree from authorities these countries became safe for asylum seekers, but not for Finns. The ministry for foreign affairs doesn’t recommend traveling to these countries.

You can read about these decisions from this Migri’s bulletin from last spring. This is how easily the registry to the government programme of tightening the requirements for getting asylum was put into practice. The tightening was taken into the government programme directly from the True Finn’s platform. And on that it had been written by Jussi Halla-aho.

Then the problems started. Migri started to mass-produce negative verdicts, because the law demands them. It’s not Migri’s business to worry about executing the verdicts, that is left as the police’s problem. So the police is now forced to forcefully return people to countries that don’t even want these people back.

Of course no human being willingly goes to get killed, but will instead resist the returning order or go into hiding. Therefore the amount of undocumented people who have received negative verdicts for their applications for asylum is increasing all the while. The government cannot admit their mistake, so it decided to start molding the minds of other officials and the citizens to be against the refugees.

First, an order was issued, that changed the language .Those left without an asylum and are therefore staying in the country without a residence visa, will no longer be allowed to be called undocumented, instead they must be called illegal dwellers of the nation. This might be the first time in history that the mother tongue is changed on ministry-level decision.

The citizens have picked this up commendably. Too well even, for talk of illegal people is quite common. By government’s decision the existence of people was made illegal in the speech of the people.

The officials were also instructed. In the end of January the government gave the local communities recommendations on the healthcare of the illegal dwellers of the nation. Many local communities have refused to follow the recommendations, because it has been drafted by overstepping jurisdiction and it contains recommendations that are against the law. If the local communities were to follow the recommendation by the letter, they would be breaking the law.

And the molding of the minds goes on. Last week a study ordered by the government was published, according to which the majority of the people wants to get the undocumented out of the country. The study was presented by the minster of internal affairs Paula Risikko herself, who has distinguished herself for example by visiting the Finland First- protest camping on Rautatientori. They didn’t ask what the people think should be done to these undocumented ones, in this study either.

It’s better that they didn’t. The researchers would hardly have wanted to publish a public opinion according to which everyone should be brought before a firing squad.

Time will tell what the government will come up with this week. The acts of the government and especially those of the minister of internal affairs, could be compared to those of an alcoholic. When their previous mistakes make them feel embarrassed and troubles pile up, then they drink more booze. That makes everything seem brighter.

Unfortunately self-deception doesn’t work indefinitely. Or yes, one can deceive themselves indefinitely, but not others.