Malaysia's deputy foreign minister was urged to quit Thursday following allegations he lied about having a degree from Cambridge University, with an opposition lawmaker accusing him of "deceiving the people".

Marzuki Yahya's educational background came under scrutiny after doubts were raised on social media that he had a distance-learning degree in business administration from the British institution, which was previously listed on his Wikipedia profile.

After initially insisting he would prove he had the degree, Mr Marzuki said late Wednesday that he had in fact not studied at the prestigious British university but at Cambridge International University in the US.

"I think they (my critics) misunderstood (my credentials). I (studied) at the Cambridge International University in the US," Mr Marzuki - a member of Bersatu, a party in the ruling coalition - told news website Malaysiakini.

"I was doing logistics (before joining politics). So I just took that certificate for my knowledge to expand my business."

One of the programmes listed on the US institution's website is "logistics".

The claim sparked mockery in Malaysia, with many questioning the institution's credibility.

Cambridge International University says on its website it is not accredited with US education authorities, offers 150 programmes - including "casino management" - yet lists only 25 faculty members.