As expected, Prime Minister Abdullah did not surrender to the ulama over the fatwa on Kongsi Raya and Open houses celebrations.

Zainon Ahmad of theSun had expressed his worry that the government would surrender to the ulamas.

He wrote on Thursday, “the government, either in awe of the Muslim ulama or unwilling to do anything to jeopardize the good relations with them, is unlikely to roll back all that has already been informally instituted in the name of Islam.

Zainon ended his column with a stunning remark, “A complete surrender.”

We are lucky this time as the Open Houses tradition has been widely accepted as a social-cultural gathering to foster understanding, goodwill and respect among the various races.

Realising the grassroots’ sentiments, Abdullah made the right statement that the government will continue holding national-level open houses for festivals as they are not considered religious events.

I am glad to read the many articles written by Muslim journalists and commentators to counter-balance the views of the ulama.

Malaysian media are still very careful when facing sensitive religious issues. They often practice self-censorship or adopt a wait-and-see attitude as they do not want to be embroiled in a controversy and risk suspension or having their permit revoked.

Chinese politicians in the BN are also wiser now after what they have gone through over the memorandum episode.

They prefer to play safe when such issues are highlighted.

The Chinese newspapers finally found the safety net to splash the PM’s statement four days after the issue was highlighted in the English newspapers.

As if taking the cue from the PM, MCA Ministers like Ong Ka Ting and Chua Soi Lek broke their silence and gave their views. Samy Vellu may have been too entangled with the PAC to say anything useful on the matter.

The ulama would not rest on their laurel. We can expect more pronouncements to come.

It is up to us whether to roll back the slow but sure encroachment or to surrender completely.