Man Sits In Parking Lot To Reserve The Space, Has A Picnic While He’s At It

A Malaysian man has drawn the ire of many after he was seen reserving a parking space by sitting in the lot.

A now-viral dash cam footage recording the man’s actions at Pantai Purnama, a beach in Port Dickson, was shared by an angry driver on Facebook.

The driver wrote: “We went around the carpark three times. When a car exited, another family came in and reserved the parking spot.”

Along with the video, the driver also shared two pictures of the man, who was comfortably seated in a camping chair in the empty lot as his family gathered for a picnic directly in front of the parking area.

According to the driver who posted the video, the man’s excuse for reserving the lot was that his family’s vehicle was parked too far away, making it too hard for them to bring their belongings and groceries to and from the car. They presumably planned to move their car over once they spotted the lot free.

Some netizens also observed that the man was littering, peeling a hard-boiled egg and casually tossing egg shells on the ground.

The man has since received plenty of criticism from netizens, most of whom felt he “deserves to go viral” for his embarrassing behaviour. Others also urged the driver to just report the incident to local authorities.

According to Malaysian law, it is illegal to reserve parking spaces with any object, or by standing or sitting in the spot. First-time offenders of this law can be fined up to RM2,000 (S$600), or be sentenced to six months in jail, with repeat offenders being served harsher penalties.

A similar law applies in Singapore as well, as a person who attempts to reserve a parking space by standing in it would constitute an act of obstruction or loitering. The fine for the offence would vary, depending on situation and rules of the particular parking place.