From the George Yeo's blog beyongsg when he attended the opening of the Baba House on Friday 5th Sept 2008
	The Baba House at Neil Road celebrates a little of our past. It is nice that we've got a number of these small museums scattered all over Singapore now. A gift by Tan Cheng Lock's daughter Agnes to NUS, the conserved property displays lovingly old furniture and photographs. Peranakan culture is fussy, gregarious, even noisy.

Peranakan culture should not be preserved as a fossil. It is a living heritage going through another cycle of decline and renewal. There was a period when peranakan culture seemed to be disappearing, with a younger generation learning Mandarin and losing their baba Malay. But as Singaporean Chinese realize that however good their Mandarin or knowledge of Chinese culture, we are still Southeast Asians living in a diverse region, Peranakan culture is enjoying a certain revival. Peranakan culture is self-consciously Chinese and Southeast Asian.

Of course, new and old Chinese have their prejudices against each other. For my mum who was from China, being baba was to lose one's culture. For many babs, the sinkehs were country bumpkins. With the reemergence of China, however, the dynamics have changed.

It would be nice for us to reestablish some of the old links of the Straits Settlements. Tan Cheng Lock was of course from Malacca and he and his son, Tan Siew Sin, played a major role in establishing the MCA as a key player in Malayan/Malaysian politics. At the opening of the Baba House, there was a delegation from the peranakan association of Penang.

But no pernankan function is complete without food, glorious food. The food at the opening night did not disappoint. Burp.

George Yeo

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