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World-class Malaysian scholars are a rare breed. When given the opportunity to thrive in competitive academic environment, they have proven their mettle; even shown exemplary academic leadership in top flight institutions.

Wang Gung Wu, Khong Yuen Foong, KS Jomo and Edmund Terence Gomez , all of them born and bred in Malaysia, have done much to make an indelible imprint in their respective areas of expertise.

The first in the field of overseas Chinese; the second in the field of political psychology and international relations; the third in the field of political economy and class relations; and the fourth in the field of money politics, public malfeasance and Chinese capitalism.

As anyone who may have pursued social sciences and economics extensively knows, the works of these four intellectual giants are practically impossible to ignore. They shape the contours of their subjects, and in turn, generate hundreds, if not thousands of peer-reviewed studies.

Their combined scholarship has reached such monumental heights that the mere mention of their names in leading universities of Japan, US, UK, Hong Kong, and Australia is enough to invite an immediate expression of awe and admiration. This is what Malaysian scholars are capable of, and are known for, throughout the world.

In this light, it is unfortunate that associate professor Edmund Terence Gomez's request for a two-year secondment to work in the Geneva-based United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) was recently turned down by University of Malaya.

While UM may not see the tragic implications as yet, the act of allowing one of the best minds to leave without the clear prospect of returning to its fold, is akin to shooting itself in both feet. It is also a decision that verges on extreme irony in face of the government's brain-gain policy.

Gomez is a scholar of great repute, a member of the outstanding quartet that Malaysia has produced. He should be encouraged to return to Malaysia. His secondment should be approved, period.

There is no place for petty campus politics when the rigours of a university itself demands professionalism and excellence bar none.

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