Matti Vanhanen accuses the PS MP of pressure – 2024-04-06 12:10:52

Matti Vanhanen accuses the PS member of parliament of being pressured by an official. Stock photo. Pete Anikari

Former Speaker of the Parliament and ex-minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) accuses the chairman of the parliamentary group of fundamental Finns Jani Mäkelää about the pressure on the official.

The accusation is related to when Mäkelä commented on the Iltalehti news on the X message service, in which Mikko Spolander, head of the national economy department of the Ministry of Finance, estimated that it is difficult to see any other way to save the public finances than increasing immigration.

PS MP Mäkelä demanded a change of attitude from Spolander, who is an official of the Ministry of Finance, regarding immigration policy.

Mäkelä said in X that “It is not easy when officials have such views, which do not move things forward, but are a hindrance. A place to correct the attitude, you can complete it”.

According to Vanhanen, Mäkelä’s pressure on public officials does not suit the Finnish administration.

– This kind of pressure contains an intolerable feature and is absolutely not suitable for the Finnish administration, Vanhanen writes on Facebook. According to him, Spolander took a stand on one of the core issues of the national economy in connection with his task.

According to Vanhanen, the same pattern of pressure also happened last year, when the vice-chairman of Basic Finns (Mauri Peltokangas) criticized the deputy chancellor of justice for the content related to his position.

– Both civil servants act with official responsibility and according to the task of the office and are elected to their position for a fixed period of time. The term of the civil servant criticized by Mäkelä ends, unless he is appointed again during this government term. The appointment is presented by the Minister of Finance, who is the chairman of PS, Vanhanen writes.

Mäkelä commented to Demokraati, which previously reported on the matter, that he does not consider himself guilty of pressure.