Isn't it incredulous how after so much has been done to wipe VCD piracy off the face of the country, the authorities have yet to nab the masterminds involved?

Aren't they - rather than the distributors, retailers and consumers - the source of all the problems, and should be given unconditional first priority? Where have all the masterminds gone? How did they manage the incredible feat of practically disappearing just like that?

Imagine the production and consumption of pirated VCDs as a pyramid, with the producers at the very apex, the distributors and retailers somewhere in the middle, and the consumer right at the very bottom.

Anyone can tell you that in order to succeed in the fight to get rid of pirated VCDs, you have to aim for the top - you must move upwards because that is where the problem starts. Even if at first you fail, nothing should stop you from reaching your target, eventually.

Having said that, I'm sure many were surprised when those involved in the fight to weed out the VCD piracy problem suddenly decided to move downwards, in the opposite direction, towards the consumers.

Isn't this like taking two or three big steps backwards in the fight to eradicate the menace? Won't this unnecessary backpedaling delay efforts in nabbing the key players behind the VCD piracy?

What will harassing and encroaching into the private lives of the end users achieve in the fight to end VCD piracy?