Are parking labels a microcosm of motoring social status in Singapore?

Parking labels bother this middle-class motorist because they represent my social status in the world of cars. 

Let me talk about company carpark labels for staff. Said labels are often colour-coded to differentiate directors from managers, and managers from executives.

The "biggest", "highest" label is probably in businesslike black to match the big, black Benz or BMW popular with managing directors of Singapore enterprises. The holder of said black label gets to park his or her limousine in a specially reserved, fully sheltered carpark lot right beside the office or grand lift lobby, complete with a little red carpet for pageantry and a CCTV camera for security. 

As for the company's managers who are managed by the managing directors, they are possibly issued with grey parking labels. These allow them to park in proper lots beside the building, but in the open, with shade from nearby trees and random potted plants. Security is provided by a token signboard threatening to wheel-clamp vehicles parked indiscriminately. 

The vehicles parked in the wrong places would include the runabouts driven by junior executives who are managed by the managers. These junior execs are supposed to park at the other end of the premises, between the loading bay and the rubbish bin compound. These folks might get blue parking labels, which reflect how they feel about motoring on a shoestring.  

As for my humble hatchback, which has a grey parking label with a blue border, it can be parked anywhere in my office carpark that is neither sheltered nor convenient.    

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This article was first published in Motorist.