Much has been written and said about Universiti Malaya's unfair and non-transparent treatment of one of its top professors, Dr Edmund Terrence Gomez .

Gomez had applied for a two-year secondment to enable him to take up a prestigious appointment with a UN research agency in Geneva. The university had refused his request and Gomez then tendered his resignation which has been accepted .

I really wonder why there is so much hoo-ha over this issue.

Did Gomez expect the UM management to call him in to discuss his resignation and perhaps beg him to stay on? Really, Gomez should come down from the clouds and face reality.

Indeed, a man of his calibre should have no problems securing another professorship at one of Malaysia's 17 other universities or elsewhere upon returnng. But why is he so bent on returning to UM, a third world and fourth-rate university?

Gomez should also not have any problems securing another job in a first-world country with his reputation and soon-to-be obtained experience at the UN agency.

So go, Gomez, just go. Be brave and be confident. This is your big break. The world is your oyster. There is life outside Universiti Malaya, believe me. You may not want to return after you have tasted freedom.

Bonne chance!