news feature Nik Adnan Che Hassan is a fruit farmer, born and bred in Kelantan. He is in his mid-forties and owns an orchard which he attends to almost every morning. That was all his work consisted of, until last year when he got himself a "part-time job" — as a video compact disc (VCD) vendor.

His wares are not Hollywood action flicks or Bollywood melodrama, but fiery speeches and uncensored criticisms of the government by PAS leaders — which, of course, are not shown on national TV or published by the mainstream press.

The market's response? "Boleh cari makanlah (enough to make a living)," said Nik Adnan in a modest tone.

The truth is, the discs are selling like hot cakes and making inroads into remote parts of the East Coast as VCD players are now becoming more affordable.

PAS secretary-general Nasharuddin Mat Isa acknowledged this. "The branches are showing these VCDs at their headquarters. Members come and watch. They enjoy it a lot because of the different information they are getting."

Consider this: At the PAS 48th annual general meeting last week, one-tenth of the 300 temporary stalls set up at the venue were selling VCDs or pro-opposition publications.

Many of the stall owners, including Nik Adnan, have regular full-time jobs elsewhere. But whenever there are nearby ceramah or events organised by PAS which they know of, they will make their presence felt there, too.

Unbeatable price

It is estimated that an average of 10 to 20 new titles is being 'released' every month. Currently, the best-selling one is the recording of the last parliamentary sitting in April.

The three-disc package showed PAS president Fadzil Mohd Noor, who is also the opposition leader in the House, chiding the government on numerous issues, among others — police brutality and abuse of power, misappropriation of public funds, and derogatory remarks about the ulama (Islamic scholars).

And all these at the unbeatable price of RM9, plus a bonus VCD containing a speech by party deputy president Abdul Hadi Awang.

There are other titles to choose from, mainly documentation of rallies and demonstrations, either organised by or involving PAS. Of course, the footage has been edited so skillfully to always have dramatic background music in scenes of police manhandling participants or bystanders.

Nik Adnan said while a majority of his customers were village folk, interestingly, those from urban areas seemed to be enthusiastic about the product as well.

"People from Kuala Lumpur and other cities usually buy four to five packages because such discs are not easily available in the urban areas. But the village folk just buy one," he said.

The irony is that most of the VCDs were actually filmed and taped in Kuala Lumpur. Those involved in the production line are supporters of PAS who have invested in expensive gadgets and gizmos which can easily churn out tens of thousands of VCDs, furnished with full-colour cover, within days.

These products are eventually distributed in bulk through their networks nationwide at only RM2 to RM3 each to recover production cost with a small profit. As they are not marketed by international record companies, the product can be sold much cheaper.

And because no address or whatever information about the producer is printed on the VCDs, it is easier to evade checks from the authorities, though at the price of compromising the credibility of the producer. But, by and large, it is a happy affair for all.

At the end of the retail line are vendors who would price a two-disc title at RM6 and make a profit. It is good income for them but the more important motivation is their resentment against the "Umno propaganda machineries such as RTM" and their determination to shatter its monopoly of information.

Sights and sounds

In a fast-changing world, sights and sounds indeed reign over other forms of presentation as they are easily digested. It thus proves useful in capturing public attention and shaping public sentiments.

The government knows this well enough. Early this year, two national TV stations under the Information Ministry — TV1 and TV2 — were airing a 90-second video clip during prime-time news which juxtaposed images of PAS leaders, the 1985 Memali incident (in which 14 people were killed — among them alleged Muslim fanatics, mostly PAS members, and police), and a Afghan-Taliban man executing a woman.

PAS protested against this deliberately negative portrayal of the party and claimed that the government was manipulating the post-Sept 11 sentiments in order to gain advantage in the run-up to a by-election in a predominantly Chinese constituency then.

The protest, however, did not effect any change. For months, the video clip was being shown until the National Fatwa Council ordered the airing to be stopped as it declared the Memali incident a sensitive religious issue.

In days gone by, PAS would have just gone on the defensive and remained an underdog. But with the advent of digital technology and proliferation of pro-opposition materials in recent years, the party can now turn on the offensive.

In fact, among the new titles released last month was the one explaining the Memali incident from PAS' point of view. The party claimed that Ibrahim Libya, the religious teacher killed, was a syahid or martyr as he was said to have sacrificed himself in the process of resisting a supposed detention under the "haram (sinful)" Internal Security Act.

Right or wrong, the VCDs seems to work in some ways. This explains why the government had tried to trample on the sale of the product, Nasharuddin said.

"Home Affairs officials had confiscated the VCDs from some shops in Kuala Lumpur on the ground of technicality such as the absence of licensing and censorship, which are required, according to procedure," he said.

While raids on VCD vendors in urban areas may have yielded some results, it is difficult to pin their 'guerilla-like' counterparts in rural areas down — people like Nik Adnan take the hit-and-run approach and would always choose safe spots and the right occasion to conduct their business.

Strong following

The business continues to prosper and is developing a strong following in the Malay heartland states such as Kelantan, Kedah, Perlis, and Terengganu. So much so that pirated VCDs have crept into the industry.

One stall at the PAS'meeting last week put up an eye-catching banner bearing party's spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat's caricature and a message urging customers to "buy only the original VCDs".

Since the sacking and subsequent jailing of former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim in 1998, the network of VCDs and pro-reform publications — from production to sales — has prospered and developed into something that is not easy to contain.

Much of its origin can be traced to the making of the 1978 Iranian Revolution, when the late Ayatollah Khomeini distributed free cassette tapes to counter the massive state-owned media and to oust the Shah of Iran.

The only difference is that the proprietors here do not do it for free but turned it into a 'business with a mission'.

Two years ago, political analysts argued that pro-reform publications and various party organs such as PAS' Harakah had a big hand in swinging the Malay-Muslim vote from Umno. Restrictions were subsequently imposed to disrupt the sale and availability of these materials. Some were even banned.

Just as the government thought it could catch a breather, PAS and its supporters returned, as if with a vengeance, with its new tool, the VCDs. Even those who are not in the least keen on politics are lured into it. Like they say, business is business.

It may look like a simple political operation for now. But who knows, with the VCD industry getting more popular than ever before, the likes of Adnan and his vendor friends could well see PAS' VCD Inc. taking shape in the not too distant future.