Timo Kalli tries to explain immigration comment

Swedish People's Party's Stefan Wallin derides statement as groundless and stupid

Timo Kalli

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MP Timo Kallli, chairman of the Parliamentary group of the Centre Party, felt compelled on Thursday to clarify a statement in which he said that the minimum age for old age pensions should be increased, so that limits might be placed on immigration.
      On Wednesday, the TV network MTV3 sought out the opinions of all of the government party groups on the reasons why immigration has “exploded”. “The more Finns can be kept at work for a longer time, the easier immigration can be kept under control”, Kalli said.
      He then continued, saying that raising the pension age will not eliminate the need for immigration, but that one basis for raising the age of retirement is that “the longer Finns’ working careers can be extended, the less we will need work-based immigration.”
     
The chairman of the Swedish People’s Party, Stefan Wallin, reacted to Kalli’s comments on Thursday, saying that the statement was “as unfounded an interpretation of the purpose of the government’s aims as it is a stupid one.”
      Wallin added that no linkage was made in the government programme on pensions and a need to reduce immigration.
      He felt that it was “extremely regrettable”, that Kalli, as the chairman of the largest political group in Parliament, will place himself in a position of "a lightning rod for powers who use immigration as a political weapon”.
      Immigration is the responsibility of Astrid Thors (Swed. People’s Party), the Minister of Migration and European Affairs.
     
Kalli told Helsingin Sanomat on Thursday that the linkage between immigration and retirement age was his “own statement”, and had not been part of the government’s political discussions. He also said that his statement was not intended as a comment on policy toward foreigners.
      He denied that he had meant to suggest that immigration would be somehow undesirable, adding that there must be “as many work-based immigrants as needed”. Talk of immigration “exploding” is linked with the recent surge in the number of asylum applicants.
     
Kalli also said that MTV3 had made use of the “tail end” of his statement. In reality, on the MTV3 recording, Kalli mentions limiting immigration as the second most important reason to raise the pension age.
      Immigration policy was the cause of the second-longest discussion at Tuesday’s government meeting.
      The government decided to decided to promote employment among immigrants, and to toughen asylum policy in order to reduce the number of unfounded asylum applications.
      Kalli’s statements have sparked furores before. The most famous one was when he said on television in the spring of 2008 that he refuses to abide by the law on election financing because no punishment has been assigned to violators.
      The statement was followed by a massive public outcry, which led to extensive debate on the issue, and that is why there are moves to toughen campaign financing legislation.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Government decides on gradual raising of minimum age for old-age pension to 65 (25.2.2009)
  Thors reacts to Katainen comments on immigration (20.2.2008)

Helsingin Sanomat