A number of interesting issues have emerged from the recent publication of statistics on illegal immigrants. Who would've suspected that the largest group of 'illegal immigrants' in the form of overstay-ers are Singaporeans at 34.6 percent, followed by Indonesians (26 percent) and Thais (14.2 percent).

Asked to comment on what kind of action will the Malaysian government take against Singaporeans, Home Minister Azmi Khalid said that Malaysia is 'being practical' in not taking action against Singaporeans who overstayed.

Practicality is merely a euphemism for double standards. The policy of taking action against a certain group of people based on nationality or race while letting another group off is nothing more than a racist policy.

He further said that Singaporeans overstay-ers are not dangerous because their overstaying was probably work related. This statement is very damaging - damaging to bilateral ties and damaging for the way we Malaysians see and treat Indonesian workers here.

Is Azmi not implying that other nationalities (specifically Indonesians, since all raids to flush out illegal immigrants are targeted against Indonesians) who overstayed are dangerous and are staying on for dubious reasons? Is he implying that they are here for criminal reasons? On what basis does he dare make such a statement?

Was there ever a study to show that more Indonesians remain here and are more 'dangerous' than Singaporeans? The Bernama reporter who interviewed him should not have let him get away with such a provocative, belligerent and downright racist statement.

Yet, Azmi's racist views are not his alone. It is so obvious that a large percentage of Malaysians (politicians and the media included) display double and even triple standards in labelling foreigners, depending on their own racist and class-based interpretation of how valuable these foreigners are.

High income foreigners, particularly white foreigners or people from wealthy countries, are given the honourable name of expatriates whereas low-skilled, low-income migrants are usually lumped under the categories of migrant workers, immigrants, or the derogatory 'illegal immigrants'.

When it comes to Indonesians who overstay, they are labelled 'illegal immigrants' a loaded word that connotes criminality. But when 'expatriates' overstay, they are merely 'overstay-ers, a neutral, technical word.

If Azmi really meant 'practical' than he should open his eyes. Who are the people who labour under the scorching sun with little pay constructing our buildings? I dare say the majority of labourers who constructed our Petronas Twin Towers, our highways and the myriad of new buildings are those people whom we simply label 'illegal immigrants', the very people whom we want to flush out of the country.

They are also the people who do the 3D jobs dull, dirty, and dangerous - that most Malaysians shun. They are the factory workers, toilet cleaners, plantation workers and construction workers.

Have we no gratitude? No compassion, no sense? Are people merely bodies to produce riches for us? Useful for us only when we need them and when we think we have no need of them we just flush them out, like flushing waste out of the toilet.

All these talk about creating a 'masyarakat penyayang' is meaningless if we can't extend consideration to people from poorer lands who have come here to make a living. Remember that we too are a nation of migrants.

A little bit of imagination, compassion and fair play is needed. Just a little.