Water|The authors of the citizens’ initiative that called for a ban on water privatization interpret that the government’s draft law leaves a back door for the ownership of water utilities. According to the opposition’s Tere Sammallahde, the opposition’s claims are not true.
The government the draft law on the ban on the privatization of water supply arouses criticism from opposition MPs. The coalition MP, on the other hand, considers the opposition’s criticism unfounded.
HS said on Sunday that the authors of the “Water is ours” citizens’ initiative approved in the parliament in 2021 are disappointed the way the government implements the ban on water privatization.
The government in the draft law it is said that “the municipality must keep the municipally controlled water supply facility and the wholesale water supply facility under its control”.
According to the interpretation of the initiators of the initiative, it means that outside investors could buy 49 percent of the water utility.
The center Congressman Petri Honkonen says in his press release that he condemns the Orpo government’s intentions “to leave the door open for the privatization of the municipal water supply”.
“Didn’t the coalition learn anything from the Caruna deals? I cannot accept letting financiers run our water supply,” he says.
Honkonen refers to the decision of the state-majority electricity company Fortum to sell its electricity network mainly to foreign investors.
Prime minister Jyrki Katainen (kok) of the government ministers assured at the timethat the trade will not increase the transmission prices of electricity, but already the following year the prices were increased.
Honkonen states in his press release that water supply is a natural monopoly like electricity networks, meaning there is simply no competing alternative.
“If prices are raised to increase profits, the citizen has no other option but to pay the additional bill without complaining,” writes Honkonen.
Sdp’s Congressman Pinja Perholehto says in his press release that under no circumstances can Finland afford to take the risk that investors would decide on water resources.
“If municipalities could sell 49.9 percent of their water supply operations to a private entity, there could be a threat that the demands of private investors for income will start to direct operations past the needs of citizens. A situation must not arise where the interest of investors overrides the right of citizens to, for example, reasonably priced water.”
Member of Parliament and vice president of the Left Alliance Veronika Honkasalo resemble message service in Xthat keeping the water supply in full public ownership is also a matter of security and safety.
“The entire parliament came together to support the Vesi on us citizens’ initiative. Now Orpo’s government does not respect this state of will,” Honkasalo wrote.
The coalition Congressman Hi Sammallahti says in his press release that he is disappointed in the opposition’s frenzy to scare Finns about the reform of the Water Supply Act.
“The opposition’s story about the coalition selling water supply infrastructure to large Chinese investors is of course raffle and emotional. However, it is not true,” he writes.
According to Sammallahde, the debate in the parliament about the Vesi onn us initiative proves that the entire parliament shares the concern about natural monopolies ending up in the wrong hands.
“Finland is going through difficult times and Finns’ concern about the management of national assets is justified. However, these worries are not alleviated at all by the fact that the opposition is spreading untrue rumors in the hope of political points.”
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