Beyond ‘me’
11/02/2007 Sunday Star CULTURE CU DE SAC by Jacqueline Pereira

IT was touted as a low-density, exclusive haven at an elite address. Very private, too, as you could wander in and out of the place day after day without meeting a neighbour.

No vandalised lifts, no rubbish spilling out of dumpsters, no unsightly litter, no swimming pool filled with screaming kids on a Saturday morning, no pets except for a couple of cats.

It was so quiet that you felt like a recluse, even when sitting out on the balcony. Calls from the long-tailed nightjar every evening only added to the ambience.

We found the apartment by chance and moved in right away. And we’ve stayed put for more than five years now because it offers the perfect, harmonious living that so many other property developers strive to but fail to provide. We’ve also watched people move in and out of the low-rise block, with nary a sound.

It was only recently that a blight appeared on this cosy picture – in the car park. Each of the 16 apartments is allocated one parking bay. Living in an admittedly up-market area, unfortunately, means more than one car per abode – even if the apartment houses one person. From two cars, some tenants have moved on to owning three and, in one case, a car remains parked for weeks on end in a visitors’ car park space without ever being driven out.

The recent purchaser of one flat has placed a barrier in her parking space to mark her territory ? a bit like the local cats mark their spots! And she hasn’t even moved in yet.

A silent dance goes on every evening; those who reach home late lose and are relegated to parking their cars outside. Sometimes, in the mornings, a quick shuffle of re-parking occurs, so that precious parking space is not relinquished.

True, the public bays need to be shared when the allocated space runs out. But what seems rather absurd is the staking out of bays and the sheer, brute impoliteness used to exert a “right” to a bay.

This realm of “me” – my house, my car, my place, my space – does not a pretty picture paint. One would presume the well educated, well heeled and well travelled operate with minds open wide. These are, after all, the people who would expect the very best of everything for the prices they pay.

And what about the numerous tales shared over a piping hot teh tarik? Who has the right of way when it comes to parking spaces in shopping centres or at street level? Do a blinking indicator and an aggressive attitude offer right of bay? What about those nonchalant, unthinking queue-hopping artists of our driving culture? Or the duel of the double-parker, inching towards treble-parking glory? Not to mention the numerous eyes that suddenly turn blind, leaving us at the mercy of yet another F1 wannabe?

It has come to the point where, instead of educating the ill informed, people prefer to stave off stress by succumbing to the rule of the mob. It’s the only way to get on, get up, and get out.

But we are supposed to be a nation of gentle, caring, laid-back and relaxed people. In a relatively stable society, we live in harmony and peace. We are a nation of smiles, reportedly. We look out for one another and – most importantly – we take care of one another. We love Malaysia and we love one another.

So in this era of “might makes right”, what happens when the parking space runs out?

People, places and perceptions inspire writer Jacqueline Pereira. In this column, she rummages through cultural differences and revels in discovering similarities.