I refer to the letter by Dr Jacob George where he argued that granting amnesty to illegal immigrants is an affront to our national integrity. I do agree with him but have to advise him that perhaps it is the correct approach to take given the present circumstances.

I don't think we should go after these illegals big time and waste the resources of our courts and prisons as most of these immigrants are here to perform services that locals are not willing to do. Many are illegal because the approval process for them and the accompanying bureaucracy is mind boggling.

Those who hire foreigners for local work will tell you what it takes. Sometimes it takes months just to get your application acknowledged, let alone processed.

I am all for the hard approach but at what cost? What I would like to see is for illegal immigrants to voluntarily divulge information on where they have been working all the while to allow the prosecution of the real culprits - the local employers, that is. This will be the long-term deterrent against hiring illegal immigrants. Those who hire them must be dealt with very strictly.

On a related matter, it has been reported that the Home Ministry is going to propose cash perks for its enforcement officers dealing in immigration matters. The reason being to stop them from taking handouts from illegals.

Great. Next we will be helping snatch thieves with cash vouchers so that they don't steal.

The process of applying for work permits for both blue- and white-collar immigrants is a long and arduous one with many palms to be greased and many trips have to be made to Putrajaya. We can take the high moral ground but many businesses suffer due to this ridiculous state of affairs.

Further, construction workers were previously approved by the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) who knew all the requirements. But now the process has been fully transferred to the Immigration Department further complicating matters.

I am all for getting rid of these illegal immigrants but let's not kid ourselves that we are a better people than them. The only reason we have drivers, maids and cheap construction workers is due to the great risks these people take.

Maybe this time around the government is acting on humanitarian grounds as well as for the expeditious return of these illegals. Let us not burn the mosquito net just because we despise the mosquito.