Poor people and cheap VCDs

Poor people and cheap VCDs

The Jakarta Post editorial on July 19, 2000, entitled A nation
of pirates caught my attention. The Post categorized those who
pirate VCDs, CDs and software and those who buy them as notorious
culprits that have behaved immorally, and, accordingly, should be
crushed as if they were bedbugs. Meanwhile the composers and
producers of the products are regarded as highly civilized people
with a noble morality and excellent intellect. They are
recognized as creative composers, and, as such, they deserve to
be honored and appreciated.

Karl Marx said that "it is not man's consciousness (morality)
that determines (conditions) a person's or a society's economic
behavior. On the other hand, it is the social-economic conditions
of the people that determine man's moral consciousness". In other
words, for the common people whether piracy or buying pirated
products are considered immoral or in violation of the law does
not matter. What is more important is that these people, with
their economic limitations, can afford to buy the products.

This argument may be responded to by using a lawyer's adage:
"Although we will face the end of the world tomorrow, the law
must be upheld". Moreover, these days foreign investors (read
capitalists) are badly needed to bring in foreign exchange and
help to reduce unemployment.

However, it should be noted that laws only serve the
interests of the elite of society, whereas ordinary people do not
have access to the law. Therefore it is practically impossible
for them to have the benefit of law in their effort to seek
justice.

If we really want to curb CD/VCD piracy, the producers of
original pieces must be allowed to undergo tight competition
among themselves, meaning having a price war. For example,
producers should produce their merchandise in great quantity,
maintain high quality and sell it at the same price as, or lower
than, the price of pirated CDs/VCDs. This will make the pirates
unable to stay in business and hence close down. Afterwards, the
producers of originals might gradually increase the prices of
their products to the point that piracy is no longer profitable.

However, monopolies, oligopolies or cartels must be strictly
banned so that the producers cannot set their prices at will. Let
the market work on that instead.

M. IKHSAN

Jakarta