The departure of Assoc Prof Dr Edmund Terrence Gomez from Universiti Malaya (UM) is not a loss to the country, its vice-chancellor Prof Dr Hashim Yaacob said.

This is because Gomez remains a Malaysian and carries the Malaysian flag with him no matter where he goes, he argued, stressing that the academic will be carrying out his research in his capacity as a Malaysian.

In his first public comments on the Gomez issue, Hashim was also quoted by Sin Chew Daily today as saying that he would not stop any of his staff from leaving if they wanted to.

"Similarly, if I want to leave, don't stop me either because that is my decision," he remarked when met by reporters after the launching of UM's centenary stamps in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

His comment, however, was only carried in Sin Chew Daily .

Revealing that he himself had previously received offers to lecture abroad, Hashim said he had chosen to stay in Malaysia and serve the country because "Malaysia is my homeland and I was brought up here".

On Gomez's case, the VC said that he (Gomez) had signed a two-year contract with the Geneva-based United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD).

But any individual should consider the interests of their 'students, country and the nation' before deciding to resign, he added.

Losing lecturers

Gomez was denied a two-year leave of secondment by UM to take up the UNRISD offer.

The denial of leave has resulted in Gomez having to tender his resignation on May 8. He will leave for Geneva on June 14.

Gomez's wife, Dr Sharmani Patricia Gabriel, who lectures English at UM was also denied a two-year unpaid leave. Sharmani made the application so that the family could join Gomez in Geneva.

However, the application which was sent via e-mail on May 20, was not considered a formal application by the management.

Asked to comment on the rejection of Sharmani's application, the VC instead asked: "Has she submitted her application?"

Hashim also reiterated UM's aim to become a world-class university and it could not afford to lose lecturers as this will affect its quality of education.

He also pointed out that his main responsibility as vice-chancellor is to attract more students to study in the country's oldest university.

Gomez's response

In an immediate rebuttal to the VC's statement, Gomez said that he has neither put his own interests above the university and the country nor it was his decision to leave UM

"I want to emphasise that it was not my decision to leave UM. I had applied for a two-year leave of secondment. We agreed the secondment was a good option because it was mutually beneficial for two reasons," the economics lecturer told malaysiakini .

Firstly, Gomez said he told the VC that he would try to incorporate other UM academics in the UN project that he was to start and lead and secondly, he would continue to oversee and ensure the completion of several international research projects that he had started at UM.

"By unilaterally rejecting my secondment, not only has UM forced my resignation, the VC has lost a valuable opportunity to internationalise UM's profile," he added.

On the VC's statement that services of lecturers are required by UM, he said it was customary and vital for academics to avail themselves to international projects as it helps enhance not only their research skills but also their teaching.

"The VC should take a long-term view when making decisions. In the long run, my short absence from UM would only have served to benefit my students and the university," he stressed.