Saying he was not afraid and firm in his stand, Ismail insisted on calling the Gelang Patah MP a racist.

“He (Lim) threatens to sue me. But I’m firm. I want to say I accused him of being racist. I didn’t call him anti-Islam.

“Anyone rational will still call him a racist,” he told an event at Parit 8, Sungai Panjang, near here today.

Earlier today, Lim hinted that he may pursue Ismail Sabri in court if he did not apologise to him for the “nefarious” lies about him.

Yesterday, Ismail, in Kuala Kangsar, reportedly claimed that he could compile a whole book on Lim’s speeches to prove that the veteran leader is a racist.

This prompted Lim to demand an apology from Ismail. However, the Bera MP did not want to retract his claim.

“Even his current good friend, Dr Mahathir (Mohamad), has said he is a racist before.

“If he has a case against me, go ahead. This is a free country. I may counter-sue him.”