J Lu asks whether Dr Edmund Terrence Gomez's request for two years' leave is unreasonable, given that most employers don't allow staff to take two years off and return on the same terms.

However, Gomez is an academic and sabbaticals/secondments are common in academia where the experience gained from a stint at another institution adds to the knowledge of the academic which in turn translates into an edge for his or her university.

Moreover, this is a UN posting which Gomez is taking up and this should be an honour for Universiti Malaya.

So unless Universiti Malaya is really shorthanded and can't spare Gomez, there's no reason why it shouldn't be able to grant him or any other staff a sabbatical/secondment.

Otherwise, Gomez should see his two years with the UN as an opportunity for a new beginning.

By the way, I was informed that Hotmail creator Sabeer Bhatia was looking to create some new ventures in Malaysia but decided against it after seeing the quality of graduates, especially from Malaysian public universities.

Trying to prop up the declining standards of Malaysian education is a futile exercise, so Gomez, his wife and family should take this episode as an opportunity to make a fresh start.

All the best for a bright future, Gomez.