Some questions on the debacle surrounding Dr Edmund Terrence Gomez must be answered before the administration of Universiti Malaysia is branded as unfair.

Is Gomez's request for a two years of leave reasonable? In most jobs, you can't just go away for two years and get your job back when you return. Could it be that Gomez has asked for too much considering the limited resources of an overstretched institution?

Secondly, is it normal for UM's associate professors to be given unpaid leave while they work and are paid for by other institutions? If other people have been granted such leave, then we have reasons to believe that Gomez has been ill-treated.

But if not, then why should Gomez be given special privileges? Other academics may start to demand for unpaid leave only to take on higher-paid jobs elsewhere and later return with an expectation for a promotion.

This may not make economical or administrative sense for UM.