Umno supreme council member Ahmad Maslan has announced that he is keen on pursuing a doctorate degree in economic policy and finance.

Ahmad (above) wrote on his Twitter account today that he had visited the Kuala Lumpur branch of Universiti Utara Malaysia today to discuss this possibility.

"Hopefully, the outcome of my academic work and thesis can be applied for the benefit of the rakyat and the country.

"Pray for me," he wrote.

Ahmad, 54, is a three-term Pontian MP with an illustrious academic and political career.

He obtained his bachelor's degree in Economics and Politics from Victoria University, New Zealand in 1988.

After working as the deputy director of the National Civics Bureau (Biro Tatanegara), he served as a political aide to Mustapa Mohamed for six years.

After completing his MBA at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 2003 with a CGPA of 3.85, he resumed work in government-linked entities.

Following his second successful electoral outing in 2008, Ahmad was appointed deputy minister of finance.

When the 1MDB scandal broke in 2015, Ahmad was made deputy minister of international trade and industry.

Despite his experience, he was not among those given a position by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in the new cabinet, which was announced yesterday.