Bandau Member of Parliament, Dr Maximus Ongkili said the problem was so critical that unless new measures and drastic actions were taken to resolve it, "the future generations of Malaysians will not inherit the Malaysia of today."

He was participating in the debate this morning on the royal address by the Yand Di-Pertuan Agong delivered in Parliament on 14 February.

"The problem of illegal immigrants is now well understood by the government after a series of registration and regularisation exercises especially in Sabah.. Despite these actions, life for the illegal immigrants goes on as usual as found in towns like Semporna, Lahad Datu, Tawau, Sandakan, Kota Kinabalu and Keningau.

"The people of Sabah continue to absorb the burden of the illegal immigrants' presence especially in terms of security and competition for economic, educational and healthcare facilities. There are no new strategies used to solve the problem. Has the government come to accept that the problem is out of control?" he asked.

Dr Ongkili urged the government to implement new strategies to combat the problem and ensure that Barisan Nasional political parties stop using illegal immigrants as political tools, stressing "such actions totally go against the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong's call to increase the dignity and honour of the country."

On the economy, the PBS deputy president proposed that the nation's planners and policy-makers adopt a new approach and understanding of economic development.

"The current approach to view development merely as an improvement in the economic livelihood of the people was now outdated and inappropriate for Malaysia's economic management in the new millennium.

"We need adopt the concept that defines development as freedom. The goal of development should be to increase the freedom of individuals to make choices and to use available opportunities to improve their well-being," he explained.

Dr Ongkili who is also PBS Assemblyman in charge of economic affairs stressed that development actions must seek to remove sources of lack of freedom and injustices such as poverty, tyranny and threats, poor economic opportunities, systematic deprivation and neglect of public facilities.

"Unless Malaysian planners and policy-makers view and implement development in this way, Malaysian economic reforms and successes will not improve much in the new millennium," he claimed.

Dr Ongkili also questioned the rationale for the new directive by the ministry of transport to subject multiple licence holders of vehicles to undergo new tests for each category of commercial vehicles.

He said the change and especially the need for existing licence holders to undergo new theory and driving tests were most illogical given that the drivers were already qualified.

"If the Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan was essentially interested in collecting additional revenue, then the tests should be abolished as the RM200.00 charge for the new licence was already excessive. The government should review the decision in order to reduce the people's burden," he argued.