I refer to "Does M'sia deserve UNHRC seat?" - Safe Door Feb 25, 2012).

The assertion that having a seat on the 47-member United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) bestows "respect" and "honour" is questionable.

The council's limited impact on human rights probably does not justify its budget, to which Malaysia contributes.

A more likely, and valid, reason would be that Malaysia is one of the world's top illegal immigration destinations, the numbers taken as a percentage of population.

A recent media circus over a proposed refugee deal between Australia and Malaysia painted Kuala Lumpur as a villain.

Even the Bar Council issued some nonsense about rights and conventions. Yet Malaysia has a more humane policy towards refugees. Laws and conventions do not put food on the table.

Thousands of people given refugee status by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) live and work in Malaysia because the authorities leave them alone despite not recognising them as refugees. The "senior minister" quoted as saying refugees cannot work was giving a legally correct reply.

In contrast Australian police, media and public pride themselves on the number of boat people caught and caged on Christmas Island for months and years, hardly a civilised response.

So what is a refugee? Nobody emigrates ready-recognised as one. The interview and verification processes of the UNHCR's Kuala Lumpur office in determining refugee status are not widely known.

But any illegal immigrant with a UNHCR card becomes a refugee. What's more, any NGO can claim that it has determined that someone is a refugee.

What does an elected government do? Accord all rights of a citizen also to anyone claiming to be a refugee?

The UNHCR does not have to provide refugees a home. Refugee cards are, therefore, distributed generously.

The destination country willy-nilly provides the home and nurture. But the authorities will rightly balk at according refugees rights that would dilute the rights of citizens, including the "right to work".

Every illegal immigrant (including refugee) is provided international travel services by a human trafficking syndicate, probably the same syndicate trafficking some of the region's international robbers and prostitutes. The aborted Malaysia-Australia deal targeted these syndicates.

The question is not whether Malaysia deserves to be on the UNHRC, rather it is whether the UNHRC is worth Malaysian tax-payers' money.