People in Malaysia and Singapore share a common sense of creativity when it comes to chope culture.
The classic tissue-packet-on-table technique has been adapted to fit the demands of different circumstances and environments, such as when a young woman here recently helped reserve a coveted parking space with nothing but herself and sheer willpower.
Her actions were documented by a driver and uploaded onto Facebook, where she was criticised for getting in the way and violating the first-come-first-served ethos.
Chope
On Saturday, Sep. 2, at around 4pm, the driver came across the lady standing in the middle of an empty lot in a crowded car park while looking for a spot.
Photo via Kieth Chan/Facebook
With shades on and hands on her hips, the woman struck what appeared to be an unapologetic pose that broadcasted the silent message: "Chope already, move on."
According to the witness, who described the woman's pose as "gangster behaviour", the woman chased away a few cars sniffing around the lot in order to save the space for a Malaysia-registered car.
Photo via Kieth Chan/Facebook
"Under Section 32A of the Street Works Act, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is empowered to enforce against any person(s) for placing articles or things on public streets and five-footways, which may cause obstruction and/ or inconvenience to the passage of the public," LTA stated, responding to a Stomp query in 2017.
Angry comments
As with every other instance of self-entitled behaviour, people on the Facebook page SG Road Vigilante were highly critical of the woman.
A couple of people entertained the prospect of retaliation, advising other drivers to use their vehicles to block the lot.
Comment on Facebook post
Comment on Facebook post
Some merely said she was integrating well locally.
Comment on Facebook post
Comment on Facebook post
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Top images via SGRV