KUALA LUMPUR: UMNO’s information chief Annuar Musa on Friday (Mar 24) upped the ante in his war of words against the Democratic Action Party (DAP)’s Lim Kit Siang, increasing a RM10,000 (US$2,260) cash reward to RM50,000 (US$11,300) for someone who can write the best piece to prove his belief that Lim is “racist, anti-Islam, anti-Malay and a dictator”.

Annuar, who is also Ketereh MP, had initiated his call for essays in response to Lim‘s remarks calling him “father of racists” and a “disgrace to Islam” during a press conference on Wednesday.

In response, Zaid Ibrahim, a member of DAP, offered RM10,000 “for the the best essay on Najib Razak as the worst PM this country has ever had”.

“Participant must be brutally honest in depicting the PM’s failings and his true character,” Zaid wrote on Facebook.

“Of course in doing so you may end up in court.”

DAP members have lodged police reports against Annuar’s competition, saying it incites hatred and threatens the safety of Lim, a 76-year-old MP of a Chinese-majority party.

The deadline for Annuar’s competition is May 30 but none has been set for Zaid’s.