KUALA LUMPUR:"I just realised… apparently I don’t have a PhD," said former Barisan Nasional (BN) secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa, cynically through his Twitter page earlier today.

The tweet is believed to respond to the statement of UMNO Secretary-General, Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan, who stated that only graduates of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree would understand the need to hold the 15th General Election (GE15) as soon as possible.

Ironically, Ahmad himself does not hold a PhD.

Earlier, on Sunday, Ahmad, who is also the new BN secretary-general, once again defended UMNO's proposal for GE15 to be held in the near future.

He questioned the willingness of the people who lined up in the supermarkets but were not willing to go to the polls even for just a day.

Prior to that, Ahmad was quoted by Malaysiakini as saying that it was appropriate to hold the GE as many countries had already done so, including the United States and Singapore.

He also emphasised that the by-election (PRK) was held in Chini and Slim followed by the Sabah state election (PRN) when the country was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Annuar, who is also the Federal Territories Minister, was sacked from the post of BN secretary-general last Tuesday and was replaced by Ahmad.

Ahmad, however, said that Annuar was not sacked from the post but was replaced, including his position in Muafakat Nasional (MN).

He added it is normal for the post of secretary-general of UMNO and BN to be held by the same individual.

Responding to the statement, Annuar described Ahmad as befitting the position because he was a "wise and indeed a qualified" person.