Eva Biaudet named Minority Ombudsman through special dispensation

Rival applicant Husein Muhammed considers appeal over appointment

Eva Biaudet

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On Thursday, the Finnish government named former MP and former minister Eva Biaudet as the new Minority Ombudsman.
      The five-year post involves making sure that people in Finland are treated equally regardless of ethnic origin, and promoting the status and rights of ethnic minorities.
     
A week ago the government granted Biaudet special dispensation of sorts to take the post, because she did not have a higher degree from a university, which is normally required for the position.
      Biaudet never finished her legal degree, completing about three quarters of the requirements, which made her appointment somewhat controversial.
      Biaudet felt that applying for special dispensation was a clear action that each applicant has the right to do.
      “It does not mean that you will be appointed.”
     
Chief of Staff Ritva Viljanen at the Ministry of the Interior, who proposed that Biaudet be named to the Ombudsman's job, said that her experience and competence were “beyond comparison”.
      “She is the only applicant with significant international experience in this field”, Viljanen added.
     
By Finnish standards, Biaudet has held an exceptionally high post as Special Representative on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings of the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe.
      In addition, Viljanen notes that Biaudet has had managerial experience as a minister, and in OSCE tasks, a versatile and deep knowledge of the field, as well as serving 15 years in Parliament as an MP for the Swedish People's Party.
      According to Viljanen, the civil servants who prepared the matter were unanimous in their support of Biaudet.
     
There were 31 applicants for the post of minority ombudsman, 29 of whom had the required academic qualifications. Five of the applicants were called in for an interview.
      One of the applicants, Hussein Muhammed, a lawyer for the Refugee Advice Centre, criticised the appointment, saying that it looked political.
      He felt that about ten of the applicants would have had both the formal qualifications and the right experience for the job.
     
He said that he would examine the reasons given for the decision, and that he would then consider whether or not to file a complaint about Biaudet’s appointment.
      Hussein Muhammed stressed that he does not think that Biaudet would not be competent or appropriate for the task, but he added that the credibility of the office of Minority Ombudsman might suffer if the holder of the office is chosen in a discriminatory manner.
      “If that happens, it will be hard to ask others why they did not take the most competent applicant without regard to ethnic origin.”


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Biaudet: Nigerian prostitutes episode contains great risk of human trafficking (8.10.2009)
  Finnish MP Eva Biaudet to get high post in OSCE (19.10.2006)

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