UI's Roderick Sibarani Regains DOTY 2011 Lead

Roderick Sibarani from Universitas Indonesia is back at the top of IndoDebate's Debater of the Year 2011 list after winning the ASEAN Youth Debate in Bandung earlier this month. He lost his lead last month after being ahead since May. The October list incorporated results from 2 tournaments, AYD and the E-Fest 2011 at Universitas Lampung. It does not include the Newbies Competition and Malang's English Parade because both contests limited participation based on non-competitive factors. The first was exclusively for college students without varsity debating experience while the latter only took debaters from three provinces.

AYD was country-based but to receive seats in the Indonesian team debaters had to undergo a national selection. Several debaters who were not in the official Team Indonesia also received points because they joined as non-breaking participants and finished at the top end of the speakers list. The DOTY 2011 list is still prone to changes as several tournaments await in November and December, including UI's Founders Trophy, the oldest British Parliamentary debate in Indonesia that is expected to attract the nation's top debaters.

The top 5 debaters who currently lead the DOTY list are:
1. Roderick Sibarani (UI)
2. Rifan Ibnu Rahman (ITB)
3. Satrio Adi Pratama (Undip)
4. Dimas Hokka (UI)
5. Luthfi Abdurrahman (ITB)

UN Malang Wins English Parade

Universitas Negeri Malang (Prima Wikaningtyas, Erich Zanuardi, Irna Fibrianti) won the English Parade in Malang after defeating a team from cross-city rivals Universitas Brawijaya. The 3-on-3 tournament limited participation to the debaters from East Java, Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces only.

Australs ESL Champ to Coach Indonesia's WSDC 2012 Team

The Education Ministry has chosen Muhammad Subarkah Syafruddin, a law student from Universitas Indonesia, to coach Team Indonesia for the 2012 World Schools Debating Championships in Cape Town, South Africa. Sume, as he is popularly known, was part of the UI team that championed the ESL category at this year's Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships, the most prestigious varsity debate contest in Asia Pacific. He is also active in UI's award-winning international law moot court squad.

The next WSDC will be held from January 17 to 27, giving very little time to select and build a team. According to the latest WSDC newsletter, details of the team should be submitted no later than November 18. Team Indonesia missed the break and ended at #37 in the last WSDC in Dundee, Scotland last August.

Indonesia has only broken twice in WSDC, in 2003 and 2004, since its first participation in 2001. In 2010, the national high school team came close to breaking after winning 5 out of their 8 mandatory debates, equalling the win-lose record in 2003 and 2004. The 2012 team will be made up of debaters who competed in the 2011 National Schools Debating Championships.

Newbies 2011: Key Results

Champions: Universitas Indonesia A (Agatha Kharisma, Lisia Astari, Patty Regina)
Finalists: Institut Teknologi Bandung B (Jane Revevalin, Fauzan Reza Maulana, Yohanna Karina)
Semifinalists: Universitas Pelita Harapan A (Valencia Clarissa Wijaya, Fernando Fen Lee, Dharma Dwitama) & Institut Teknologi Bandung A (Alris Alfarizi, Luthfi Chaliqi, Aghniadi)

 

Top 10 Speakers:

1. Jane Revevalin (ITB B)
2. Fauzan Reza Maulana (ITB B)
3. Alris Alfarizi (ITB A)
4. Luthfi Chaliqi (ITB A)
5. Yohanna Karina (ITB B)
6. Kario Teguh (Universitas Atmajaya A)
7. Agatha Kharisma (UI A)
8. Gladys Nathania (Binus Universiity A)
9. Aghniadi (ITB A)
10. Melisa Irene (Binus International B)

UI Debaters Win 2011 Newbies Competition

Host Universitas Indonesia A (Agatha Kharisma, Lisia Astari, Patty Regina) defeated Institut Teknologi Bandung B (Yohanna Karina, Fauzan Reza Maulana, Jane Revevalin) in the grand final of the 2011 Newbies Debate Competition, which is exclusively for those who have no prior varsity English competitive debating experience. They knocked down the motion "This House Would Make Attendance at School Voluntary" in a debate that ended with a 4-1 split decision. Jane Revevalin took home the best speaker award.

This is EDS UI's fifth trophy this year after winning ALSA E-Comp, Australs ESL Category, Bawor Cup and BIND. A team made up of UI debaters who championed ALSA E-Comp also won the ASEAN Youth Debate last month but they represented Indonesia.

Malang's English Parade, UI's Newbies Start Tomorrow

Two varsity debating competitions will start tomorrow in separate Java cities with unique sets of participants. The 2011 English Parade, held in Malang by Universitas Brawijaya's Faculty of Administration, restricts the participation of debaters from outside the provinces of East Java, Central Java and Yogyakarta. A debater who comes from schools beyond the determined border still can join but needs to team up with 2 students from the tri-province region.

The second one is the 2011 Newbies at Universitas Indonesia in Depok that is exclusively for students who have no varsity debating experience. Young talents may emerge from this tournament and become the next generation of debating stars. Both competitions will use the 3-on-3 format.  

E-Fest 2011 Motions

E-Fest 2011, Sumatra's first nationwide British Parliamentary debating competition, had some interesting motions. Below are the complete list.

R1 THW criminalize parents who send their LGBT children to be cured without the children's consent
R2 THW allow drunk individuals to drive auto pilot cars
R3 THBT individuals in extreme stravation should be allowed to commit cannibalism
R4 THBT the West should stop imposing sanctions on Myanmar
R5 THW require victim's consent upon declaring an amnesty
Pre-SF THW make drug testing mandatory for welfare recipients
SF THBT government should have the right to reject the existence of foreign journalists in times of war
GF (HS) THW charge juveniles as adults in cases of inhumane crimes
GF (V) THBT the European Union should stop economic engagements and diplomatic ties with country candidates of the Eurasian Union

Key Results from Nationwide E-Fest 2011 @ Lampung

Sumatra island's first nationwide British Parliamentary debating competition, E-Fest 2011, showed the existing wide gap between teams from Java and the rest of the country. Debating powerhouses UI, ITB and UGM might have skipped the tournament but even that did not stop a Java cleansweep. All teams in the semifinals and all top 10 speakers hailed from Java universities. The only Sumatrans who came home with prizes were high school students whose category had no Java participants. The key results are as follows:  
  
Champions: Binus University A (Radite Adjie & Enricko Lukman)
Finalists: Universitas Bakrie A (Aryo Febrian & Alifia Firliani), Universitas Jenderal Soedirman A (Shofri Darmawan & Alfan Afriyanto), Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia A (Tsara Desiana Akmilia & Gelar Ramadhan)

Top 10 Speakers
1. Radite Adjie (Binus University A)
2. Enricko Lukman (Binus University A)
3. Aryo Febrian (Universitas Bakrie A)
4. Alifia Firliani (Universitas Bakrie A)
5. Dani Kharismawan (Sekolah Tinggi Akuntasi Negara B)
6. Prakosa (Sekolah Tinggi Akuntansi Negara B)
7. Surya Pratama (Universitas Bakrie B)
7. Duta Rachmadien (Universitas Jenderal Soedirman C)
7. Desi Purnamasari (Universitas Bakrie B)
10. Gilang Dony Pradana (Universitas Jenderal Soedirman C)

Best High School Team: SMA 1 Kota Gajah B (Atkia Dian Purwadani & Elok Waspadany)
Best High School Speaker: Jessica Andriani Liong (SMA Xaverius A)

Binus Pair Win All-Java Final in Sumatra's First BP Comp

Binus University A (Radite Adjie & Enricko Lukman) took the crown of the first nationwide British Parliamentary debating competition on Sumatra island, E-Fest 2011, after a final with teams that all crossed the Sunda Strait from Java to Lampung. Radite also won the best speaker award. None of the Binus debaters had won a national varsity debating trophy before.

The other finalists were Universitas Bakrie, Universitas Jenderal Soedirman and Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia. They debated the motion "THBT the European Union should stop economic engagements and diplomatic ties with country candidates of the Eurasian Union". The final took place on Sunday but the results were kept secret until Monday night. SMA 1 Kota Gajah championed the high school category.

EJVED Launches Prepared Motions

Organizers of the November 18-20  East Java Varsities English Debate (EJVED) have announced the motions that will be used in the 4 prepared rounds of this East Java-only tournament. Here they are:

FEMINISM

• THBT Hubbies are to Blame for Mommy Burnout
• THBT Cancer Awareness Topless Flash Mob is Fine
• THBT the Firm can Issue a Red Bracelet Policy

ECONOMY

• THW Review a Developing Country's Purchasing Power Parity before Granting Financial Aid
• THBT the Least Developing Countries are the Main Liability of Global Economy
• THBT Greece Should Default

TECHNOLOGY

• THW Support the Use of RFIDs to Watch over the Distribution of  Fuel Subsidy
• THW Collectively Fund Climate Altering Technology
• THW Render Technological Patent for Customers' Right

AFRICA

• THBT Uganda Courts Should Pass Harsher Sentences for Gays Committing Aggravated Homosexuality
• THBT Libya Detainee Abuses Have Stained the Revolutionary Movement 
• THW Assign NATO Troops to Combat Somali Islamist Insurgents

Java Teams Rule E-Fest, Sumatra's BP Comp

Only 1 non-Java team, STBA Teknokrat, managed to proceed into the knockouts of E-Fest 2011 in Lampung, Sumatra island's first nationwide British Parliamentary debating competition. The result showed how Java teams are still way ahead debaters from other islands. Twelve teams were eligible to break with the top 4 going straight to the semifinals while the rest must battle it out for the remaining 4 spots. The finals will take place Sunday. The break list is as follows:

1. Universitas Bakrie A
2. Binus University A
3. Sekolah Tinggi Akuntansi Negara B
4. Universitas Jenderal Soedirman B
5. Universitas Bakrie B
6. Universitas Jenderal Soedirman C
7. Binus University B
8. Universitas Jenderal Soedirman A
9. Sekolah Tinggi Akuntansi Negara A
10. Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia A
11. STBA Teknokrat D
12. Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia B

UI Plans to Hold 2 Comps a Month Apart

English Debating Society Universitas Indonesia, the country's most successful club in competitive debating this year so far, will organize 2 tournaments with only a month between them. The first one, the 2011 Newbies, takes place from October 22 to 23 with Asians as the chosen format. It is exclusively for varsity recruits, denying entry for anyone with collegiate debating experience.

The second is the Founders' Trophy, the oldest British Parliamentary debating contest in Indonesia, known for its book prizes and magnet for experienced, non-student debaters. Organisers this year seek to hold the tournament on November 26 to 27 and open it wider, allowing any pairing regardless of a debater's institution.

EDS UI last month also held a different type of competition, the Just For Fun Debates, which had an informal feel and used motions linked to the Harry Potter novels.

Sumatra's First National BP Comp Starts Tomorrow

Sumatra island's first nationwide British parliamentary debating competition, the 2011 E-Fest, will kick off tomorrow at Universitas Lampung. To ensure geographical representation, the tournament's lead judges come from 4 different cities on 3 separate islands. Defiana will be the host university's representative in  the adjudication core. The other members are Bryan Gunawan from Binus University Jakarta, Buna Rizal Rahman from Universitas Diponegoro Semarang and Muhammad Akbar from Universitas Hasanuddin Makassar. The grand final will take place on October 17.

EU Dares to Hold Another IV After Last Year's Mess

The European Union delegation in Indonesia will again hold a high-profile debate tournament after its first attempt last year triggered scorn from participants due to the shenanigans of some of its adjudicators. Similar to the 2010 edition, the EU Intervarsity Debate Championship 2011 will employ household names in the Indonesian political scene like opposition legislator Eva Kusuma Sundari and Dewi Fortuna Anwar, a top advisor to the Vice President.

 

Celebrity judges definitely add buzz to a competition but they can be unaccustomed to the rules and ethics of competitive debating. In last year's EU-IDC, some of them took phone calls, left the room, slept, commented and even intervened during speeches. They may also have little guidance on the scoring system and how expert knowledge can clutter fair judgment. 

 

At the first IVED in 1998, celebrity judges varying from television anchors, newspaper editors, faculty deans to foreign diplomats were heavily used. Their presence did not spoil the competition because organizers required them to undergo several training sessions before they could adjudicate. In cases when untrained celebrities had to be used due to commitments to sponsors, they were always outnumbered in the panels by adjudicators with competitive debate experience. It seems that the EU-IDC organizers prioritize big names rather than quality adjudication.

 

European diplomats actually contributed to the development of Indonesian debating. WUDC 1996 Chief Adjudicator John Long became a member of the EU delegation in Indonesia in 1999 and helped the first batch of Indonesian debaters train. UK deputy chief of mission Quinton Quayle adjudicated in IVED 1998 and helped gather corporate sponsors for the first Indonesian teams to WUDC 1999. It is regrettable to notice their support and contribution have been sullied by one tournament that refused to follow internationally accepted norms. 

 

EU-IDC 2011 will take place from November 17 to 18. It will not apply a commonly accepted competitive debating format. It will use a corrupted version of the Australasian format. Roughly, it is a 3-on-3 debate with 5-minute speeches for the 1st and 2nd speakers while the 3rd speakers act like reply speakers with only 3 minutes for summation. Contrary to Australs, the affirmative reply is before the negative's.

 

A selection based on essays will determine the 20 teams. There will be no simultaneous debates. There will be one preliminary round of 10 back-to-back debates. Motions are pre-determined but there will be a balloting process to decide who will debate those topics. The panel of adjudicators will be similar for the 10 debates, opening the potential of jury fatigue. Not all winners of this round can advance. Only the 8 teams with the highest scores can go to the quarterfinals. Adjudicators will not reveal results at the end of a debate and there will be no feedback system for the judges. Organizers have stressed that participation means blind acceptance to their method without any avenue for appeals.

 

It is unclear why EU is now using a format and a competition system that are totally different from the internationally accepted rules the European diplomats taught more than a decade ago to the first class of Indonesian debaters. Bryan Gunawan from Binus University and Teddy Triatmojo from Sekolah Tinggi Akuntansi Negara have delivered concerns from the Indonesian debating community to EU with the hope that organizers can deliver a quality competition. The guideline of this peculiar event can be found here. 

Asia Champ to Judge English Olympics at Binus

Binus University has upgraded again its annual English Olympics event and recruited Asia's current top debater as a judge. Last February they made the previously national event into the 2010 South East Asian Olympics (SEO). Now, organizers seek participation from all over the continent as this series of contests have become the Asian English Olympics, scheduled for February 13-17, 2012.

Debating will still be the jewel of the event, which will also have Scrabble and Movie-making competitions. High school and varsity teams all over Asia are eligible to compete in a single tournament using the British Parliamentary format. Binus University and its affliate Binus International are the leaders in bringing international debaters and judges to Indonesia. The latter held BIND last month that included the CA and DCA of the coming WUDC in its adjudication core.

AEO organizers will continue the tradition of having world class judges as they have received commitment from Asian debating star Imran Rahim from National University of Singapore. The 2012 AEO core adjudicators are as follows:

CA: Sabarudin Adinugroho (Binus University) - SEO 2011 Finalist, ALSA UI E-Comp 2011 and IVED 2012 DCA

DCAs:

• Imran Rahim (NUS) - Asian BP 2010, WUPID 2010 and UADC 2011 Champion
• Thepparith Senamngern (Assumption University) - Asian BP 2009 and UADC 2010 CA
• Zheng Bo (Tsinghua University) -  IDEA China Open 2011 and Peking IV 2010 CA
• Ahdiat Permana (Universitas Indonesia) - JOVED 2009 Champion, SEO 2011 Finalist, Founders Trophy 2010 CA

UI's Med School to Hold Debates in November

Universitas Indonesia's Faculty of Medicine plans to hold a debate competition with health and environment motions on November 12, 13 and 19, which is exclusively slated for the grand final. While the contest is small with only 18 teams, organizers are opening it for high school and varsity debaters and dangling a Rp. 3 million prize for the winner. The format will be Asians and Subarkah Syafruddin, ESL champion of the last Australs, will lead the adjudication. Registration can be sent to lombaprogressive@gmail.com.