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THE sleaze in Joo Chiat has shrivelled.
The 'hundreds' of women who used to walk the street at night have fallen to about 40 to 50, according to the area's MP Chan Soo Sen. 'I make it a point to look at (the situation) every week and have a rough count,' he told reporters on Monday.
The vice problem is now confined to a 50m stretch along Joo Chiat Road, he added, and more family-oriented and lifestyle businesses such as food, fashion, advertising, and souvenirs have popped up in the neighbourhood in the last couple of years.
The MP was briefing reporters on the improvements made to the heritage area, ahead of the May 9 ministerial walkabout by Law Minister K. Shanmugam. In 2005, he said, 'hundreds' of women solicited customers along a 1.3km stretch of Joo Chiat Road. Now, the road is quieter and he sees 40 to 50 women on the street when he drives or walks in the area at night.
Sleaze was a political issue in the intense campaign for Joo Chiat during the 2006 General Election. Mr Chan won 65 per cent of the 18,806 valid votes against Workers' Party veteran Tan Bin Seng.
Asked whether he will contest in the next general election, Mr Chan said the decision is up to the leaders of the People's Action Party: 'If they want to field me, I will continue to try and do my best till the last day.'
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