Fresh Finnish Prime Minister: hardships are material for achievements

Photo: Mihkel Maripuu

To act as Finnish Prime Minister, Juha Sipilä (Centre) has had his initial dozen days. The coalition government composed of Centre (6 ministers), the Finns (4 ministers), and National Coalition (4 ministers) entered into office on May 29th. After paying a state visit to Sweden first in line, the day before yesterday, Mr Sipilä made it to Tallinn Airport the selfsame evening – a place familiar from his businessman days. Spurning the comfy car sent to get him from Karja St hotel, he opted walking to Stenbock House thru Old Town sunshine.  

Will Mr Sipilä provide second wind to Finnish politics and leadership culture? Educated as engineer, the Prime Minister has taken no time to thoroughly shake Finnish politicians interested in issues legal and linguistic – with two words hitherto unheard of yet jerked promptly into public use: vatulointi and iterointi. «Vatulointi will have to end,» said Mr Sipilä while coalition talks were on. Shocked speechless, no one had a clue whatever that meant till recourse was had to those initiated in depths of dialects in the land – this is to describe disentangling fishing nets or ropes or whatever is tedious or excruciatingly slow. Iterointi is what engineers say when identical operations are performed over and over again – like cutting a cake into ever thinner slices. In politics, this means getting caught in trivialities and tiniest details.

What was your earlier business in Estonia about?

They made equipment here to test mobile phones, I’m sure it’s still going on. Ten years back, I was CEO for Elektrobit Oyj and came to Estonia a lot.

Had any other businesses in Estonia?

No. This was all, but I did come to Estonia a whole lot and have good friends here from these times.

I find your speeches to have been challenging and inspiring. What can we do to get this corner of the world moving and shaking? So as to be an example to others, like it has been in several ways before?

I have this approach to life that hardships must be turned into opportunities. Hardships are created for achievements. This is the attitude we should strive for, in Europe, and especially in Finland now that it is hard with the economy.  

What are the definite things you will be boosting?

We have prepared a strategic governing programme with five central goals. The first is about welfare and its variations; the second is goals set regarding education. Then there’s the goal of management, digitalisation, building an inventive society and cutting back rules. Then there’s the bio-energy goal. We will be investing in these despite the bad economic situation.

After a long pause, you are a man in Finnish top politics without being a career politician. What do you predict: how hard will it be for you to affect the governing culture and change it on basis of business management principles?

I think the principle is the same: we must get stirred about a common goal and be motivated to work for it to be achieved. True, we have big public sector and management change is a must. We need to start by government’s own ways of doing things, setting an example – by that, the change can take a broader hold.

What kind of an example have you created during the first ten days of the government, and before while the coalition talks were going on?

On top of economic programme, we compiled a strategic governing programme in which we worded a ten-year vision for Finland and the goals that take us there, as well as core activities to support the goals.

We substantially cut the amount of ministers. The previous government had 19 ministers to begin with, we now have 14. By that, we want to send the society a signal of effectual administration, and of do-it-together culture.

Was it difficult at coalition talks with cutting the portfolios – all the others used to things being otherwise?

No, as they all knew I would be demanding the cut.

What are the renewable energy options you see? How will you stir people and your government to deal with that? 

The global trend towards renewable energy opens up vast possibilities. I view pushing back climate change as a major chance for technology development and changing the ways of people, and thereby the creation of new businesses.

Personally, I’m an active bioenergy user. I produce electricity for my house with wood gas, I’ve got solar panels. I even built a car that goes on wood gas (laughs). And I drive electric.

Which?

A Tesla. So I’ve tested it a lot and am convinced the change is possible. It’s just a matter of will – technology will make it possible for renewable energy to be used. This is a huge opportunity for both Europe as well as Finland and Estonia.

You are promoting a social contract. Have the labour market organisations – employers and/or trade unions – taken a stand somewhat against, trying to delay the changes?

Firstly, we have lagged behind our main rivals regarding competitiveness. We need to invent ways to catch up. By the social contract, we are striving towards seeking these ways together. There has been a positive attitude towards this, and I believe such agreement is possible in Finland.

Could this be called internal devaluation, like what Estonia did during the financial crisis? Is it also an option to cut salaries?

We have not been talking about cutting salaries. Changing the working time is a way to radically boost competitiveness. True, this is adjusted to the euro as the currency cannot be devalued. Ergo, we will need to enhance competitiveness via constant change and this is what we are after.

Juha Sipilä

Born April 25th 1961, in Veteli.

Engineer by specialty, Master’s from Oulu University.

Having begun his career in a company producing radio technology components, Mr Sipilä rose to be among Finland’s first IT-millionaires.

Elected into parliament in 2011.

In 2012 rose to Centre chairman.

Married, father of four, member of Lutheran missions movement Word of Peace (Rauhan Sana).