WUDC 2014: Chennai Worlds Will Be Remembered for Its Drama

It won't be Worlds without drama but Chennai tops it. The 2014 World Universities Debating Championships in the Indian city has experienced a gamut of problems, ranging from chronic delays, bed shortages, a bus breakdown, poor internet connection, live stream glitches, unsatisfying meals and lack of official online match ups. All of those problems could happen in any tournament of this size. However, there have been two other issues that are disturbingly serious - the police questioning of Pakistani debaters and the threat of judges boycotting the competition.


While details are sketchy about the first matter, debaters from Pakistan - India's real world nemesis - had to face the authorities who wanted to know them and their visas better. The encounter raised the possibility of replacing them with swings in the middle of the second day for preliminary debates. That worst scenario was averted but the whole incident affected scheduling. It was nice to know debaters around the world showed their support for the Pakistanis when they were allowed to return to the scene.

The second problem is more divisive. Independent judges, many from traditional debating powerhouses, threatened to strike after reports of organisers wanting to renege on promises. Some were promised they could get subsidies in advance for the willingness to fly to India while others thought they would get the travel incentives at the start of the tournament. When they heard news that none of their cost would be reimbursed, these adjudicators united and demanded accountability. Day 3 of preliminaries got delayed before an agreement was reached. After missing a deadline, organizers said subsidies would be paid in the afternoon. Unofficial reports are saying the Rajalakshmi Engineering College, which is hosting WUDC Chennai, understood allowing a boycott to happen would be shameful.

There is a positive side from WUDC Chennai. The first seven motions satisfied the quench for straightforward, fair and relevant debates for global citizens. Many were unimpressed with some of the motions in WUDC Manila and Berlin, especially with the long, convoluted ones. There were abundant complaining tweets right after they were announced although it has to be said that the short and clean motion for WUDC Manila's grand final won applause. There has been close to zero poking at WUDC Chennai motions and the 'hook-up culture' motion right before socials was apt. For Indonesians, the motions on payment to victims of crimes, political dynasties and US funding of madrassas are all real issues. (Full list of motions will be uploaded after WUDC Chennai ends).

While there may be more twists and turns in WUDC Chennai along the way, hopefully the high quality of the motions and debates can keep the spirit alive. The simple wish is remembering WUDC 2014 for the debates besides its drama in the land of Bollywood.

WUDC 2014: 11 Indonesian Teams Compete in the Most Prestigious Debate

The preliminary rounds of the 2014 World Universities Debating Championships began today in Chennai, India with 11 teams from Indonesia, including a pair from remote Papua province. They are as follows:

Binus International A (Jaran Walia & Invi Atmanegara)
Binus University A (Cassandra Etania Liem & Rivera Kathryn)
Institut Pertanian Bogor A (Deanty Mulia & M.Iqbal Maulana)
Institut Teknologi Bandung A (Vicario Reinaldo & Fauzan Reza)
Universitas Brawijaya A (M. Nur Rizki Oceano & Queentries Regar)
Universitas Gadjah Mada A (Amir Abdul Aziz & Nabila Aghniarizqa)
Universitas Indonesia A (Egalita Irfan & Roderick Sibarani)
Universitas Indonesia B (Elghafiky Bimardhika & Aulia Anggita)
Universitas Musamus A (Umi Rakhmawati & Feronika Hutabarat)
Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta A (Arif Burhanudin & Tika Destiratri)
Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta B (Rasman & Anisa Sukma)

While no Indonesian has broken into the main knockouts of the most prestigious debate competition on the planet, some have advanced into the ESL/EFL elimination stage. As usual, there will be 9 mandatory rounds at WUDC. The best Indonesian team in terms of score were Astrid Kusumawardhani and Miranda Anwar from UI with 16 points in WUDC 2008. They broke first into the ESL knockouts that year. Let's see whether the WUDC 2014 teams can match that feat or break the record.      

Jaran Walia Tops IndoDebate 2013 Debater of the Year Table

Jaran Walia from Binus International - Debater of the Year 2013

Jaran Walia from Jakarta-based Binus International's School of Marketing is the 2013 IndoDebate Debater of the Year after a great run in the last 12 months. He married the two national titles, the Indonesia Varsities English Debate and the National Universities Debating Championship, for the first time in history and won two other domestic tournaments. He also broke in a competition in Singapore and grabbed the best EFL speaker title in Asian BP in China. In total, Jaran collected 51 points, a lot more than the two previous DOTY title holders. His NUDC and IVED partner Invi Atmanegara came third on the table.

Throughout the year, Jaran and Invi received challenges from Universitas Gadjah Mada debaters Alif Satria and Amir Abdul Aziz who were prominent in small tournaments but failed to excel in major events. After his landmark NUDC victory in August, Jaran surpassed his rivals and never dropped from the top. He will not be on the list next year after finishing his studies recently. He is still eligible for the upcoming World Universities Debating Championships 2014 in Chennai.

Despite their failure in holding the DOTY 2013 lead, UGM debaters had a breakout year. Six ended in the top 20 compared to one in 2012. Alif Satria, this year's runner-up, is only in his second year and has a bright future. Universitas Indonesia also have 6 debaters in that group.

All of the debaters in the top 20, bar one, come from the four debating powerhouses -- Binus International, UGM, UI and Institut Teknologi Bandung. The sole dark horse was Nur Rizki Oceano from Universitas Brawijaya. Universitas Bakrie, Universitas Parahyangan and Universitas Atma Jaya that had debaters in top 20 last year all slumped in 2013. The dominance of the big four underlines the need for regeneration in other clubs and proliferation of debating skills to other regions, especially outside of Java island. Click here for the full table.

Top 20 on IndoDebate's Debater of the Year 2013 list are:

1. Jaran Walia (Binus International)
2. Alif Satria (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
3. Invi Atmanegara (Binus International)
4. Roderick Sibarani (Universitas Indonesia)
5. Amir Abdul Aziz (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
6. Indriani Pratiwi (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
7. Boby Andika Ruitang (Universitas Indonesia)
8. Melisa Irene (Binus International)
9. Magreta Kailla Adenta (Universitas Indonesia)
10. Fauzan Reza Maulana (Institut Teknologi Bandung)
11. Romario Tambunan (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
12. Vicario Reinaldo (Institut Teknologi Bandung)
13. Dennys Kapa (Universitas Indonesia)
14. Nabila Aghniarizqa (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
15. Dianty Widyowati (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
16. Aulia Anggita (Universitas Indonesia)
17. Elghafiky Bimardhika (Universitas Indonesia)
18. Nur Rizki Oceano (Universitas Brawijaya)
19. Wilson Salim (Binus International)
20. Alris Alfharisi (Institut Teknologi Bandung)

UT Mara Wins KL Debate, Binus Intl Debaters Reach QF

Malaysia's Universiti Teknologi Mara A (Shafiq Bazari & Rafiq Saladin) last weekend championed the 2013 Kuala Lumpur Open Challenge, the last Asian preparatory tournament before the 2014 World Universities Debating Championships in Chennai. Three Indonesian teams went to the event, including Binus International B (Invi Atmanegara & Andrianto Khiputra) who broke into the quarterfinals. UT Mara, which will host the 2015 WUDC, also won the MMU IV a week before KLOC.

South Africa, Greece Launch Bid to Host WUDC 2016

Asia will host the next two World Universities Debating Championships but the tournament will head for a different continent in 2016. Bids from South Africa and Greece, two countries that have hosted WUDC before, are out with unique features for debaters to mull over until the vote next month.

University of the Witwatersrand

University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg is behind the South African bid. The bid's most attractive offer is not its yakka party or safari tour. It is the promise to create the biggest WUDC ever by accommodating at least 520 teams. No WUDC has exceeded 400 competing pairs. Another unusual part of the bid is the origin of the chief adjudicators who will not come from the home institution, country or even continent. WUDC 2013 best speaker Pam Cohn (Toronto, Durham, ULU) and Asian BP 2012 best speaker Syed Saddiq (IIU) from Malaysia have been recruited for those positions. Click here for details.

Waterfront of Thessaloniki

The other bid shouts 'Debating Comes Home'. The Debating Society of Greece wants to bring WUDC back to the land of Socrates who planted the roots of dialectics 2,400 years ago. It is billed as Thessaloniki 2016, underlining the host city, an ancient port that has turned into South Europe's party capital. Most debates would be at the University of Macedonia. The CA would be Manos Moschopoulos (Deree, ULU), one of Greece's most accomplished debaters. Click here for details.

Indonesia is part of the group of nations with the most votes (4) in the WUDC Council. The Indonesian choice in WUDC 2014 Chennai can be decisive. For Indonesian debaters, South Africa's larger cap means more teams, regardless of past results, can register but the journey to Johannesburg is longer and costlier than a trip to Greece.       

IVED 2014: Prepared Motions

Three rounds of the 2014 Indonesian Varsities English Debate in Salatiga will have prepared motions. The adjudication core consisting of chief Rizki Akita (Universitas Diponegoro) and her deputies Alris Alfharisi (Institut Teknologi Bandung), Elghafiky Bimardhika (Universitas Indonesia) and Thoriq Murtadho (Universitas Gadjah Mada) announced them yesterday. Here they are:

ECONOMICS

THW disallow commercial and investment banks to merge

THBT countries with aging population should ease the entry of productive-age immigrants

THW compel multinational corporations to maintain a minimum proportion of employees from their original countries before they can outsource their manufacturing work to other countries

LAW

THW abolish life sentence for non-violent crimes

THW not punish a person who committed premeditated murder if s/he was experiencing ongoing domestic violence

THBT nations should not have the right to self-defense (under Article 51 of the UN Charter) against terrorist groups

REGIONAL POLITICS

THBT the dissolution of the Golden Dawn Party inflicts more harm than good to Greece

As Western government, THW prohibit Western extraction companies to invest and operate in pariah states

THBT Latin American countries should legalize drugs, even without the approval of the United Nations and United States 

Bipeds-UI Composite Part of Elite Club in Singapore Debate

Binus International debater Jaran Walia, who is leading the 2013 Debater of the Year table, teamed up with Universitas Indonesia speaker Boby Ruitang for last weekend's Singapore Management University BP 2013 and the duo broke 11th, allowing them to advance along with top Asian debaters. Their journey stopped at the quarterfinals where they almost pulled off an upset in a tournament full of regional debaters who were preparing for Worlds. An international hybrid, Robin Teo from National University of Singapore and Valeri Inting from the University of the Philippines, emerged as the champions. Both of them have won the United Asian Debating Championship before, representing their respective schools.  

FT2013: Key Results & Motions

Grand Final Founders Trophy 2013

Champions: Melanie Tedja (Ex-UI) & Luthfi Abdurrahman (Ex-ITB)
Finalists: Roderick Sibarani (UI) & Egalita Irfan (UI), Boby Ruitang (UI) & Satrio Adi Pratama (ex Undip), Eldhianto Jusuf & Bernardo Tampubolon (ex UGM)
Best Novice Team: Bradley Gunawan (Sang Timur) & John Amadeo (Raffles)
Best Novice Speaker: Bradley Gunawan (Sang Timur) & John Amadeo (Raffles)

Top 10 Speakers
1. Melanie Tedja (ex Universitas Indonesia)
2. Luthfi Abdurrahman (ex Institut Teknologi Bandung)
3. Satrio Adi Pratama (ex Universitas Diponegoro)
4. Roderick Sibarani (Universitas Indonesia)
4. Rifan Ibnu Rahman (ex Institut Teknologi Bandung)
6. Eldhianto Jusuf (ex Universitas Gadjah Mada)
6. Boby Andika Ruitang (Universitas Indonesia)
8. Dennys Kapa (Universitas Indonesia)
9. Bernardo Tampubolon (ex Universitas Gadjah Mada)
10. Vicario Reinaldo (Institut Teknologi Bandung)
10. Invi Atmanegara (Binus International)

R1: The Real Population Bomb
Motion: THBT freedom of movement to megacities in developing countries should be restricted
Best Speaker: Luthfi Abdurrahman
R2: How the World Works
Motion: THBT international organisations (such as but not limited to World Bank) should provide equal pay to international and local staffs
Best Speaker: Melanie Tedja
R3: Drift
Motion: TH celebrates the fall of the American empire
Best Speaker: Boby Ruitang
R4: The Institutionalisation of Political Parties in Post-Authoritarian Indonesia
Motion: THBT Joko Widodo should skip the 2014 presidential race
Best Speaker: Melanie Tedja
R5: Carbon Democracy
Motion: THBT energy security is a legitimate reason for war
Best Speaker: Satrio Adi Pratama

QF: The Anti-Chinese Violence in Indonesia
Motion: THBT Chinese Indonesians should demand a full criminal investigation into the May 1998 rapes
Best Speaker: Melanie Tedja
SF: Earth Matters
Motion: THW actively pursue geo-engineering as a solution to climate change
Best Speaker: Melanie Tedja
GF: Jerusalem
Motion: THBT the fate of Jerusalem should be decided by its native inhabitants and their residing offspring
Best Speaker: Luthfi Abdurrahman

FT 2013: UI-ITB Graduates Claw Trophy, Speaker Awards

Founders Trophy 2013 champions -
Melanie Tedja & Luthfi Abdurrahman

A team comprising former Universitas Indonesia debater Melanie Tedja and Institut Teknologi Bandung graduate Luthfi "Uphie" Abdurrahman won the 2013 EDSUI Founders Trophy, billed as the "Clash of the Predators". They earned the right to hold the Papuan wooden sculpture until the next edition.

Indeed, both of them have been predatory for years. For Melanie, it was her second FT victory. She also bagged the best speaker award, her fifth after receiving it in 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2011. For Uphie, it was his first time becoming FT champion after he came close a few times, including reaching the final last year. He was the best speaker of FT 2012 and 2008. This year he was the best speaker in the final and came second overall.

In the final, they defended the motion "This House Believes That the Fate of Jerusalem Should Only Be Decided by its Native Inhabitants and Their Residing Offspring" from Closing Government. The pair defeated Roderick Sibarani (UI)/Egalita Irfan (UI), Boby Ruitang (UI)/Satrio Adi Pratama (Ex-Undip) and Eldhianto Jusuf (Ex-UGM)/Bernardo Tampubolon (Ex-UGM). FT, the first nationwide open BP competition in Indonesia, is considered as the toughest because it attracts debaters from all generations.

The best novice team award went to a high school team consisting of Bradley Gunawan (Sang Timur) and John Amadeo (Raffles) who competed under a debate scholarship from EDSUI. They advanced as far as the quarterfinals. Both collected the same speaker points, making them co-best novice speakers in the tournament. Besides the trophies, FT overall and novice winners, as well as, round best speakers traditionally receive books donated by Universitas Indonesia alumni.

FT2013: Vets Lead Break List That Includes High School Team

Veterans lead the pack at EDSUI Founders Trophy 2013. An alumni team comprising the best speakers of the last two editions, Luthfi Abdurrahman (2012) and Melanie Tedja (2011), broke first with a score of 13 after losing points in the final prelim. The dark horses in the outrounds are high school students John Amadeo and Bradley Gunawan who broke #13 above more experienced debaters. The ones who were cut included a national BP champion, a JOVED champion and two IHL champions. The break list is as follows.

1. Melanie Tedja (ex UI) & Luthfi Abdurrahman (ex ITB)
2. Boby Andika Ruitang (UI) & Satrio Adi Pratama (ex Undip)
3. Eldhianto Jusuf (ex UGM) & Bernardo Tampubolon (ex UGM)
4. Roderick Sibarani (UI) & Egalita Irfan (UI)
5. Aulia Anggita (UI) & Dennys Kapa (UI)
6. Dito Krista (ITB) & Vicario Reinaldo (ITB)
7. Amir Abdul Aziz (UGM) & Nabila Aghniarizqa (UGM)
8. Wilson Salim (Binus Intl) & Melisa Irene (Binus Intl)
9. Jane Revevalin (ITB) & Rifan Ibnu Rahman (ex ITB)
10. Invi Atmanegara (Binus Intl) & Jaran Walia (Binus Intl)
11. Alif Satria (UGM) & Romario Tambunan (UGM)
12. Albert Santoso (UI) & Aliefah Saras (Paramadina)
13. Bradley Gunawan (Sang Timur) & John Amadeo (Raffles)
14. Nisrina Praharso (UI) & Elvia Sumayastra (UI)
15. Bramesada Prasastyoga (UI) & Rivera Kathryn (Binus)
16. Davin Sutanto (Atma) & Marcella Chandra (Atma)

FT 2013: Champs Return for the Clash of Predators

Claiming it would be "The Clash of  Predators", the 2013 EDSUI Founders Trophy formally started today, promising exciting debates that the competition is known for. The tagline may be boastful but 22 of  the 37 participating teams have at least one member with a championship title or best speaker award, living up to the tournament's reputation as Indonesia's toughest nationwide British Parliamentary debate competition.

In most competitions, the share of champions is usually far below that. The recent NUDC, the largest BP competition in Indonesia, only 6 out of 96 teams, or less than 7 per cent, could boast nationwide accolades when they entered the arena.

Picking a favourite for this year's FT is hard. Last year's champion Rifan Ibnu Rahman is back to defend his title with a different partner. Best speakers of the 3 most recent FTs - Satrio Adi Pratama (2010), Melanie Tedja (2011) and Luthfi Abdurrahman (2012) - will also return. The last two will even team up. The most successful pair this year, Invi Atmanegara and Jaran Walia from Binus International who married the two national titles, will take another stab at FT after exiting at the semifinal stage in 2012.

This does not mean FT is unfriendly to dark horses. It is still the only nationwide open contest in Indonesia that could be won by a full high school team - SMA Kanisius Jakarta championed FT 2004. This year, the organisers have given fee waivers and BP training to 4 high school students who want to repeat that feat.

There is also another special addition. Two debaters from different Sumatra colleges have crossed the strait to test themselves against the best of the country, who all come from Java. In their own island, Elsyam Maulana from Universitas Sumatera Utara and Heriyanto from Institute of Trade and Business are predators but they will be in a different jungle at FT, where some teams may see them as prey.

With the intense competition, FT is far from predictable. It is still anyone's game with each preliminary round to be crucial because only 16 teams will advance to the knockouts, which means a number of past champions will go home after round 5. Prelims start tomorrow at Universitas Indonesia's Engineering Center.

The 22 predatory teams with national tournament trophies that will compete in FT 2013 are as follows in alphabetical order of the first member who has a title.

Ahdiat Permana/Sabarudin Adinugroho - (1) JOVED 2009, Bawor 2010, 2011 champ/ (2) NUEDC 2012 champ
Albert Santoso/Aliefah Saras - (1) ALSA UI 2012 champ
Alif Satria/Romario Tambunan - (1) ALSA Unpad 2013, SODC 2013 champ/ (2) AUI 2013 champ/ (1&2) ACDC 2013 champs
Amir Abdul Aziz/Nabila Aghniarizqa - (1) SODC 2013, AUI 2013 champ/ (1&2) ALSA Unpad 2013 champs
Aulia Anggita/Dennys Kapa - (1) Bawor 2012, JOVED 2013 champ/ (2) ALSA UI 2011, GO 2012 champ/ (1&2) ALSA UI 2012 champs
Bernardo Tampubolon/Eldhianto Jusuf - (1) JOVED 2006 champ/ (2) JOVED 2010, IVED 2011, IFF 2011, Pimnas 2012 champ  
Boby Andika/Satrio Adi Pratama - (1) IDO 2013, GO 2013 champ/ (2) NUEDC 2010, JOVED 2011 champ, FT 2010 best speaker  
Cindy Fransisca/Silvya Suwandy - (1) E-Fest 2012 champ, IPSDC 2012, JFF 2012 best speaker 
Dara Indira/Taufiq Bashori - (1) IDO 2013 novice champ
Dito Krista/Vicario Reinaldo - (1) IVED 2010, GO 2012 champ, NUEDC 2011 best speaker/ (2) AEO 2013, UADC 2013 EFL champ
Diovio Alfath/Gendhis Indahayu - (1) NNDC 2013 champ
Egalita Irfan/Roderick Sibarani - (1) Bawor 2012 champ/ (2) JOVED 2012, JM 2012, Atma IV 2013, JFF 2013, GO 2013 champ 
Elvia Sumayastra/Nisrina Praharso - (1) JOVED 2013 champ
Indriani Pratiwi/Muhammad Fidhzariyan - (1) IHL 2013, NDC-NES 2013, ACDC 2013 champ/ (2) IHL 2012 champ
Invi Atmanegara/Jaran Walia - (1) JFF 2013 champ/ (2) Bawor 2013 champ/ (1&2) UADC 2012 EFL, IVED 2013, NUDC 2013 champs 
Jane Revevalin/Rifan Ibnu Rahman - (1) ALSA UI 2013 champ/ (2) JFF 2011, IPSDC 2012, FT 2012, JM 2012, 2013, IDO 2013 champ
Junario Wibawa/Marchella Febriyanti - (1) IVED 2013 novice champ
Luthfi Abdurrahman/Melanie Tedja - (1) NUEDC 2009, ALSA UI 2010, SEO 2011, NDC 2011 champ/ (2) IVED 2003, FT 2012 champ 
Melisa Irene/Wilson Salim - (1) Bawor 2013, GMDT 2013 champ (2) JFF 2012 champ
Midia Arifandi/Annisa Zuhairi - (1) IDO 2013 novice champ
Yosifebi Ramadhani/Andrianto Khiputra - (1) GMDT 2013 champ
Zivana Sabili/Roberto Lie - (1) Newbies 2012 champ & best speaker

The other 15 teams are dark horses that are bent on rewriting the script. Among them are:
The high school teams
Bradley Gunawan/John Amadeo - (1) Twaalf 2012 champ, ANPS 2012, Binus ECom best speaker / (2) Binus ECom 2013 champ
Christine Yaputra/Dimas Prakoso - (1) Enthusiastic Bogor 2012 champ
The non-Java team
Elsyam Maulana/Heriyanto - (1) SOVED 2013 champ/ (2) Dragon 2013 champ

Overwhelming UGM Reign at ACDC 2013

ACDC 2013 Champs - UGM A
(Alif, Indriani, Romario)

Universitas Gadjah Mada had 3 teams competing in the 2013 ALSA UGM Crushbone Debate Competition and all of them reached the semifinals. Two advanced to yesterday's final, in which #1 UGM A (Romario Tambunan, Indriani Pratiwi, Alif Satria) crushed their juniors #2 UGM B (Aldila Irsyad Noi, Ganjar Dennis, Anhar Firdausyi). Alif Satria won the best speaker award, his second in as many months.

Despite the expansion of ACDC to an-all Java competition that had the potential of pulling the best in the country, the only significant additions were second-layer teams from Institut Teknologi Bandung and Universitas Padjajaran. The latter became the sole non-UGM semifinalist. Stronger debaters chose to skip this tournament, giving host UGM freedom to reign. Previously, ACDC was limited to participants from Yogyakarta, Central Java and East Java provinces. UGM is the only national powerhouse in the tri-province area.

FT 2013: Four High School Students Selected For Debate Scholarship

Four high school students, all from Jakarta, will begin their free training with Universitas Indonesia debaters tomorrow for the upcoming Founders' Trophy 2013. After weeks of deliberation, the selectors announced SMA Sang Timur students Bradley Gunawan and Dimas Prakoso, SMA Tarakanita 2 debater Christine Yaputra and Raffles International Christian School speaker John Amadeo deserve to receive the debate scholarship.

The training will prepare them for the oldest and most prestigious BP debate tournament in Indonesia. Top debaters have failed to advance into the knockouts of previous FTs, showing how challenging the event can be. However, a high school team won the competition nine years ago, the only time such a thing occurred in a debating tournament in Indonesia with varsity participants. SMA Kanisius Jakarta defeated top varsity and alumni teams in the final of FT2004.

The details of the FT2013 scholars are as follows:
1. Bradley Gunawan (SMA Sang Timur Jakarta)
Champion of Twaalf Tarakanita 2012; Best Speaker of Binus E-Com 2013, ANPS 2012, Ed.Com 2012
2. John Amadeo (Raffles International Christian School Jakarta)
Champion of Binus E-Com 2013
3. Christine Yaputra (SMA Tarakanita 2 Jakarta)
Champion of Enthusiastic SMA 1 Bogor 2012
4. Dimas Prakoso (SMA Sang Timur Jakarta)
Semifinalist of Binus E-Com 2013

Ganesha Open 2013 Key Results

Champions: #1 Yo Momma (Boby Ruitang/UI & Roderick Sibarani/UI)
Finalists: #6 (Rifan Ibnu Rahman/Ex ITB & Fauzan Maulana/ITB), #9 Tita FC (Nisrina Praharso/UI & Ibrahim Panji Indra/UI), #12 Machiavellian Army (Westra Tanribali/Unpad & Muhammad Luthfi/ITB)
Best Speaker: Boby Ruitang (Yo Momma/UI)

Top 10 Speakers
1. Boby Ruitang (Yo Momma/UI)
2. Jaran Walia (Who's Your Daddy/Binus Intl)
3. Dennys Kapa (Who's Your Daddy/UI)
3. Roderick Sibarani (Yo Momma/UI)
5. Eldhianto Jusuf (23 Our Age Yah/Ex UGM)
5. Albert Santoso (Wim/UI)
7. Elghafiky Bimardhika (Tim Hore/UI)
7. Bramesada Prasastyoga (Wim/Ex UI)
9. Rifan Ibnu Rahman (Najo/Ex ITB)
10. Aulia Anggita (Tim Hore/UI)

UI Debaters Champion Ganesha Open 2013

The 2013 Ganesha Open title went to Universitas Indonesia pair Boby Ruitang and Roderick Sibarani who debated under the team name "Yo Momma!". This is the third BP win for Roderick this year after winning Atma Jaya IV and the Just For Fun debate and second for his team mate Boby who won the inaugural Indonesia Debate Open. They achieved the previous victories with different partners. Boby also bagged the best speaker award, his second this year.

The winners, who broke first from the prelims, defended a motion proposing abstention in the 2014 elections in the final. In the last debate, they defeated another UI team consisting of Nisrina Praharso and Ibrahim Panji Indra, Institut Teknologi Bandung pair Rifan Ibnu Rahman and Fauzan Reza Maulana and an ITB-Universitas Padjajaran hybrid of Muhammad Luthfi and Westra Tanribali.

DOTY 2013: Fourth Trophy Solidifies Jaran Walia's Lead

Jaran Walia from Binus International has strengthened his lead in the 2013 Debater of the Year table with a victory in last month's inaugural Gadjah Mada Debating Tournament. It was his fourth trophy in 2013. He is now the only debater who has achieved that feat this year.

Results from the Asian British Parliamentary debate in Beijing and the National Debate Competition-National Economic Seminar at Universitas Padjadjaran Bandung also contributed into the October calculations. There are only a few tournaments left this year, making it difficult for rivals to overtake the leader. It is still possible if Alif Satria or Amir Abdul Aziz could score maximum points in the remaining championships. The top 10 speakers as of October are as follows:

1. Jaran Walia (Binus International)
2. Amir Abdul Aziz (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
3. Alif Satria (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
4. Invi Atmanegara (Binus International)
5. Roderick Sibarani (Universitas Indonesia)
6. Melisa Irene (Binus International)
7. Magreta Kailla Adenta (Universitas Indonesia)
8. Indriani Pratiwi (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
9. Fauzan Reza Maulana (Institut Teknologi Bandung)
10. Nabila Aghniarizqa (Universitas Gadjah Mada)

Newbies 2013: Key Results

Champions: Universitas Indonesia B (Monica Dwiyanti, Dinda Adhalia, Qurrat Abu Ayub)
Finalists: Universitas Indonesia C (Shaffa'ati Fadzrin, Ireisha Anindya, Priscilla Tjokrowijoto)
Best Speaker: Monica Dwiyanti (Universitas Indonesia B)

Top 10 Speakers:
1. Monica Dwiyanti (Universitas Indonesia B)
2. Dinda Adhalia (Universitas Indonesia B)
3. Qurrat Abu Ayub (Universitas Indonesia B)
4. Stella Hie (Universitas Indonesia A)
5. Wieda Deasy (Universitas Bina Nusantara B)
6. Cynthia Mutiara (Universitas Padjadjaran A)
7. Tia Natashya (Universitas Atma Jaya A)
8. Angela Natalia (Universitas Atma Jaya B)
8. Moudy Alfiana (Universitas Parahyangan A)
10. Priscilla Tjokrowijoto (Universitas Indonesia C)

Newbies 2013: UI Recruits Sweep Team, Speaker Awards

Universitas Indonesia B (Monica Dwiyanti, Dinda Adhalia, Qurrat Abu Ayub)

Powerhouse Universitas Indonesia cleaned out the awards at the 2013 Newbies Debate Competition, showing it continues to attract the best recruits. Since 2006, all winners of national tournaments exclusively for freshers hailed from UI with an exception in 2009 when Binus International won Newbies for the one and only time.

In Newbies 2013, #1 UI B (Monica Dwiyanti, Qurrat Abu Ayub, Dinda Adhalia) defeated schoolmates #3 UI C (Shaffa'ati Fadzrin, Ireisha Anindya, Priscilla Tjokrowijoto) on a 5-2 split decision in the final that had a motion on human clone farming. Monica Dwiyanti grabbed the best speaker title and her UI B partners were right behind her. UI B did not drop a single match throughout the tournament.

Newbies is the annual 3-on-3 tournament for new recruits. The National Novice Debate Championship that usually takes place in May is a similar competition but it uses the BP format. All NNDC titles have gone to UI as well.  
 

Newbies 2013: 3 UI Teams Break 1st, 2nd, 3rd

Powerhouse Universitas Indonesia showed it has no problem in regeneration after 3 of its teams top the break list in the 2013 Newbies Debate Competition. Knockouts will take place tomorrow at UI's Depok campus. Since its inception in 2006, Newbies winners all hailed from UI with an exception in 2009 when Binus International took the trophy out of Depok for the one and only time so far. Newbies is an annual 3-on-3 tournament designed for those without any varsity debating experience. Many Newbies champions have moved on to win national tournaments. The break list is as follows:

1. Universitas Indonesia B
2. Universitas Indonesia A
3. Universitas Indonesia C
4. Universitas Padjajaran A
5. Universitas Atma Jaya B
6. Universitas Atma Jaya C
7. Binus University A
8. Universitas Parahyangan C

GMDT 2013: Key Results

Champions: #2 Binus International A (Jaran Walia, Melisa Irene, Yosifebi Ramadhani)
Finalists: #1 Universitas Gadjah Mada A (Nabila Aghniarizqa, Alif Satria, Romario Tambunan)
Best Speaker: Alif Satria (Universitas Gadjah Mada)

Top 10 Speakers

1. Alif Satria (Universitas Gadjah Mada A)
2. Melisa Irene (Binus International A)
3. Romario Tambunan (Universitas Gadjah Mada A)
4. Nabila Aghniarizqa (Universitas Gadjah Mada A)
5. Jaran Walia (Binus International A)
6. Aditya Janu Perdana (Universitas Brawijaya A)
7. Dwi Arum Ariani (Universitas Brawijaya A)
8. Zelly Sidi Zamzami (Universitas Brawijaya A)
9. Dianty Widyowati (Universitas Gadjah Mada B)
10. Wilson Salim (Binus International B)

GMDT 2013: Binus International Wins Trophy, Jaran's Fourth This Year

Jaran Walia from Binus International speaks in GMDT 2013 final

#2 Binus International A (Jaran Walia, Melisa Irene, Yosifebi Ramadhani) defeated home team #1 Universitas Gadjah Mada A (Romario Tambunan, Nabila Aghniarizqa, Alif Satria) to champion the inaugural Gadjah Mada Debating Tournament. They lost to UGM A in the preliminary stage but paid back when it counted most. In the final, they knocked down a proposal for Indonesia to invest in nuclear energy.

It was Jaran Walia's fourth trophy this year, reinforcing his position at the top of the 2013 Debater of the Year table. No other debater has won as many nationwide championships in 2013. The three previous victories came from the Indonesian Varsities English Debate, the National Universities Debating Championship and the Bawor Cup competition.  UGM's Alif Satria bagged the best speaker award, giving the host a consolation prize and making him one of Jaran's closest rivals for the DOTY title.  

GMDT 2013: Home Team UGM Breaks First with Clean Sheet

#1 Universitas Gadjah Mada A (Nabila Aghniarizqa, Alif Satria, Romario Tambunan) defeated all their opponents in the preliminary rounds to advance first into the octofinals of the inaugural Gadjah Mada Debate Tournament. All three are also well-positioned in the top 10 speaker list. The elimination stage will go until the quarterfinals today. The grand final will take place tomorrow. Here is the break list.

1. Universitas Gadjah Mada A
2. Binus International A
3. Universitas Brawijaya A
4. Universitas Gadjah Mada B
5. Binus International B
6. Universitas Indonesia A
7. Universitas Indonesia B
8. Universitas Sanata Dharma A
9. Universitas Brawijaya B
10. Universitas Negeri Semarang A
11. Universitas Diponegoro A
12. Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta A
13. Perguruan Tinggi Teknokrat A
14. STID Al Hadid A
15. Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta A
16. Universitas Atma Jaya Jakarta A

FT 2013 Offers Free Slots, Coaching for 4 High School Debaters

This year's Founders Trophy will grant 4 high school debaters scholarship in the form of special training and fee waiver so that they can compete in the longest-running BP tournament in Indonesia, which is open for all ages. A high school team from Canisius College Jakarta won FT a decade ago, beating top varsity debaters and a pair consisting of finance ministry officials in the final. However, no high school team could match that feat since. Last year, no high school debater even dared to join FT. The scholarship is meant to motivate leading high school debaters to take on tougher competition.

After the individual-based selection, the 4 chosen debaters will be paired up into 2 teams. English Debating Society Universitas Indonesia will train them so that they are ready to debate in the BP style, which is rarely taught to high school students who are accustomed to the 3-on-3 format. An applicant should fill a special form and submit it to ateamft2013@gmail.com before the end of October 25. Click here to read the announcement and access to the form.  The scheme is open to all Indonesian high school debaters, regardless of geographical region or institution, but does not include accommodation and transport to UI's Depok campus, where the coaching and competition will take place. FT 2013 will run from November 29 to December 1.

ABP 2013: Indonesian Results

Six Indonesian teams went to the 2013 Asian British Parliamentary debate tournament and 5 of them broke into the EFL knockouts. Ironically, the sixth pair, #28 Universitas Indonesia C (Nisrina Praharso & Elvia Sumayastra), performed the best among them in the prelims and matched the victory point of the last team that broke into the open knockouts. UI C could not advance into the elimination rounds because they were four spots short of the open break and one of the speakers had lived in Australia long enough to make her ineligible to debate in the EFL category. Here are the results of the Indonesian teams in ABP 2013.

#28 Universitas Indonesia C (Nisrina Praharso & Elvia Sumayastra) 16 points
#35/#2EFL Binus International A (Jaran Walia & Melisa Irene) 15 points -- EFL finalists
#40/#4EFL Binus University A (Cassandra Etania Liem & Rivera Kathryn) 15 points -- EFL quarterfinalists
#41/#5EFL Binus International B (Andrianto Khiputra & Wilson Salim) 15 points -- EFL finalists
#58/#16EFL Universitas Indonesia A (Stella Kusumawardhani & Ibrahim Panji Indra) 13 points -- EFL semifinalists
#60/#17EFL Universitas Indonesia B (Anastasia Sijabat & Magreta Kailla Adenta) 13 points -- EFL finalists

Note: UI A and UI B became #15EFL and #16EFL respectively for the EFL knockouts because #9EFL NENU A failed to meet eligibility rules to advance.

Top 5 Indonesian speakers
#37/#1EFL Jaran Walia (Binus International A) -- Best EFL speaker
#65 Nisrina Praharso (Universitas Indonesia C)
#65/#6EFL Melisa Irene (Binus International A)
#76/#10EFL Cassandra Etania Liem (Binus University A)
#76/#10EFL Wilson Salim (Binus International B)