École
Could you explain to our readers when you decided to become a politician?
Well, I guess my voters made this decision. But I’ve been working in politics since 1997, when I started my four year term as a president of youth organisation of the Centre Party. I vas 23 years old at that time.
Did you have strong political beliefs during your youth?
Yes, when I was teenager. Nowadays I might be more constructive.
Was the choice of becoming a “full time politician” difficult to make?
No, it wasn’t, because I’ve been so strongly interested in politics.
How could you present the Finnish Centre Party to our readers who don’t know it?
The Centre Party of Finland is the biggest party in Finland in the sense of
the amount of members and in the sense of support in general elections. In the latest parliament elections, March 2003, 55 mps (out of 200 in total) were elected from the Centre Party. Our candidates gathered 689 391 votes (24,7 %).
The basic principles of the Centre Party grow from the belief in the human resources of the people, in the importance of humanity and tolerance and in the meaning of co-operation making use for everybody. Social safety and freedom of choice, regional equality, entrepreneurship , ecologically sustainable, over the generations lasting relation with nature and a decentralised, democratic decision making are important values for the Centre Party.
As a member of the Parliament, what will be your priorities for the near
future?
To raise questions of children and young people, equality, health and sustainable development.
What are the positive and negative aspects of being a politician?
The positive things are that it is possible to affect different questions.
Negative aspects, sometimes, are loosing your private life.
Do you consider it as a profession or is it more than that?
It is more than a profession. It is a way of life. And I like it.
If you had the possibility to totally change your profession. What would you
choose?
Something totally different, I guess. Like a great soccer player. Or a formula one driver, even my name Kaikkonen is pretty close to Raikkonen.
Why do you think that in Europe people become less and less interested in
politics? What should be done to change this situation?
I don’t want to think that way, but I hope that media takes more responsibility of democracy. It is not only just for fun.
What are your professional or personal projects for the future?
I’m going to concentre more to the different questions of housing politics.
And somehow I will go on with my studies in the university.
