AEO 2014: Key Results

Champions: #1 International Islamic University Malaysia A (Ameera Moore & Mubarrat Wassey)
Finalists: #2 National University of Singapore (Andre Kua & Raymund Vitorio), #4 International Islamic University B (Amshar Aziz & Mahherrajan Narayanan), #6 Curtin University Sarawak (Keeshaanan Sundaresan & Vigneswaran Duraragh)
Co-Best Speakers: Ameera Moore & Mubarrat Wassey (IIUM A)
Novice Champions: #1Novice Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Sathish Raghuraman & Chiang Ruicheng)
Best Novice Speaker: Alyssa Encarnacion (Miriam College)

Top 10 Speakers
1. Mubarrat Wassey (IIUM A)
1. Ameera Moore (IIUM A)
3. Andre Kua (NUS)
4. Raymund Vitorio (NUS)
5. Maherrajan Narayanan (IIUM B)
6. Hazem Talha (IIUM C)
6. Harris Ghazali (IIUM C)
8. Amshar Aziz (IIUM B)
9. Melisa Irene (Binus International A)
9. Alyssa Encarnacion (Miriam College)

AEO 2014: Top Awards Go Overseas, Mostly to IIU Malaysia

The International Islamic University Malaysia contingent at AEO 2014

Foreigners raided the 2014 Asian English Olympics debate competition at Binus University Jakarta. Asian powerhouse International Islamic University Malaysia took home the main trophy and best speaker award while Hong Kong University of Science and Technology claimed the novice title. Indonesian debaters failed to reach the main final, win the novice category or become part of the top 8 speakers. It was a contrast to last year when the final was all-Indonesian.

In this year's main final, #1 IIUM A (Ameera Moore & Mubarrat Wassey) defeated schoolmates #4 IIUM B (Mahherrajan Narayan & Amshar Aziz), longtime rivals #2 National University of Singapore (Andre Kua & Raymund Vitorio) and fellow Malaysian #6 Curtin University Sarawak (Keeshaanan Sundaresan & Vigneswaran Duraragh). The winning IIU A debaters also became the co-best speakers of the tournament while four of their schoolmates made it into the top 8 list.

While there was a spike in participation and quality from abroad, especially with the prominent presence from IIUM, there was also a dearth of strong Indonesian teams in AEO 2014. Universitas Indonesia and Institut Teknologi Bandung did not field their better debaters while Universitas Gadjah Mada decided to skip the competition altogether.

AEO 2014: No Indonesian Team in This Year's Main Final

The main final of the 2014 Asian English Olympics debate competition will have no locals, unlike last year's which saw all of the finalists come from Indonesia. In the semifinals, the last standing Indonesians, Binus International A (Melisa Irene & Wilson Salim) and Binus University A (Rivera Kathrin & Marchella Febriyanti) failed to withstand the wave from overseas.

Three out of four teams in the final will be Malaysian. Asian powerhouse International Islamic University Malaysia claims two spots through #1 IIUM A (Ameera Moore & Mubarrat Wassey) and #4 IIUM B (Amshar Aziz & Mahherrajan Narayanan). The other Malaysian finalist is #6 Curtin University Sarawak (Keeshaanan Sundaresan & Vigneswaran Duraragh). #2 National University of Singapore (Andre Kua & Raymund Vitorio) is the odd one among the last four.

While there was a spike in participation and quality from abroad, the best teams in Indonesia chose to overlook AEO 2014. Universitas Indonesia and Institut Teknologi Bandung did not field their top debaters while Universitas Gadjah Mada decided to skip the competition altogether. The chances to receive feedback from international judges and clash with top Asian teams seemed to be insufficient to attract the strongest Indonesian debaters this year.

In the novice category, the final will have two non-Indonesian teams from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Sekolah Tun Fatimah, a Malaysian high school. The two other novice finalists come from Universitas Indonesia B and Politeknik Negeri Sriwijaya.

Tarakanita High School Alumni Win Inaugural Binus Pro-Ams 2014

Binus University - Venue of  Binus Pro-Ams

Graduates of SMU Tarakanita 2 high school Patty Regina and Willem Chua today championed the inaugural Binus Pro-Ams tournament under the team name 'Happy Swingers'. It was the first ever British Parliamentary debate tournament in Indonesia that requires each participating two-member team to have one debater with a record of breaking into the out-rounds of at least one major national or international competition and another with none. Patty is a currently an Universitas Indonesia debater while Willem is a fresh high school graduate. Last year, the two along with another Tarakanita alumnus won a debate tournament in Surabaya for those with less than 4 semesters in college.

Melisa Irene from Binus International topped the speaker tab while UI freshman debater Jessica Andriani Liong grabbed the best amateur speaker award. The Binus Pro-Ams is a prelude to the 2014 Asian English Olympics that will take place at the same venue, the Anggrek campus of Binus University in West Jakarta, this week with a number of non-Indonesian teams. The champions of last year's AEO, Vicario Reinaldo and Fauzan Reza Maulana from Institut Teknologi Bandung, went on to snatch the EFL title at the 2014 World Universities Debating Championship.

JDF Open 2014: Key Results

Champions: #4 Saodah Agustina (Roderick Sibarani/UI & Astri Agustina/UGM)
Finalists: #1 A-Core JDF Open 2013 (Ahdiat Permana/Ex UI & Edward Sutanto/Undip), #2 We Can Still Make Explosion (Satrio Adi Pratama/Ex Undip & Rizky Akita/Undip), #3 Sosio Justisia (Romario Tambunan/UGM & Aldila Irsyad/UGM)
Best Speaker: Satrio Adi Pratama (We Can Still Make Explosion/Ex Undip)

Top 10 Best Speakers:
1. Satrio Adi Pratama (We Can Still Make Explosion/Ex Undip)
2. Romario Tambunan (Sosio Justisia/UGM)
3. Roderick Sibarani (Saodah Agustina/UI)
4. Rizky Akita (We Can Still Make Explosion/Undip)
4. Edward Sutanto (A-Core JDF Open 2013/Undip)
6. Indriani Pratiwi (Connie & Carla/UGM)
7. Astri Agustina (Saodah Agustina/UGM)
8. Ahdiat Permana (A-Core JDF Open 2013/Ex UI)
9. Aldila Irsyad (Sosio Justisia/UGM)
10. Arsh Starfy Firdausi (Pak Wage/UGM)
10. Ummi Hadiba (Pak Wage/UGM)

JDF Open 2014: Trophy Goes to UI-UGM Composite Team

JDF Open 2014 Champions:
Roderick Sibarani & Astri Agustina

The rivalry between Universitas Indonesia and Universitas Gadjah Mada is a fixture in every institution-based tournament in the country. But it was a team consisting of debaters from the two schools that came out triumphant in the 2014 Jogjakarta Debate Forum Open. UI's Roderick Sibarani teamed up with UGM's Astri Agustina and under the name 'Saodah Agustina' they won the final debate although they were ranked lowest among the four.

Universitas Diponegoro graduate Satrio Adi Pratomo topped the speakers list but his 'We Can Still Make Explosion' team bowed to the champions in the final, which had a motion "This House Believes That Intelligence Should Be a Paramater to the Right of Voting". Eight of the 16 teams in the quarterfinals were full UGM teams, displaying the school's prominence in Yogyakarta tournaments, but all of them failed to clinch the title. JDF is the organization that unites debating societies in Yogyakarta. This year's JDF Open was the first time the tournament allowed competitors from all over the country.

Indonesian Debaters Mourn the Passing of Trailblazer Perry Harahap

The Indonesian debating community mourned after hearing Permata Harahap, or simply known as Perry, died on February 6, 2014. Perry co-founded the English Debating Society Universitas Indonesia, the club that pioneered the activity of competitive debating in the country. The national 3-on-3 championship, the Indonesian Varsities English Debate (IVED), was his brainchild and he convened the first of its kind in 1998.  He was the pillar of a community that started small but now has turned into a society of thousands.

For many debaters, they have lost a coach who was willing to go to all corners of the country to train students and proliferate the values of competitive debating. He did not only coached numerous EDSUI teams but also developed speakers of other universities, including Universitas Atma Jaya Jakarta and Universitas Paramadina where he was pursuing his master's degree. His former trainees fondly remember his calm yet strong presence. Some who never met him can also recall their first sessions of debating practice was based on a guidebook that Perry authored.

For others, he was the example of a sharp third speaker and feared opponent. He won the first ALSA UI debate contest way back in 1996 when internationally accepted formats were unknown in Indonesia. He then went to the 1997 Asian Intervarsity Debating Championships as a member of the first Indonesian contingent in the regional tourney. From there he mastered the international styles and went on to become the finalist of the 1st Java Overland Varsities English Debate in 1997, the first tournament using an accepted format. He also debated in the 1998 ASEAN Varsities Debate in Kuala Lumpur and the 1999 All-Asians in Bangkok. Team mates and rivals respect his ability to dissect cases and present logically solid arguments.

On February 16, the former and current debaters who miss Perry will hold a tribute for him after a family-held prayers. The wake will take place from 1 pm at the Paladian Apartment club house in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, right beside the hospital where he was treated during his final days. The event is open to all friends, debaters and those who only know him by reputation.  

DOTY 2014: Gadjah Mada Debaters Take Early Lead This Year

Debaters from Universitas Gadjah Mada filled up the first three spots of the new IndoDebate Debater of the Year table following the restart of the count for 2014. Indriani Pratiwi, Romario Tambunan and Alif Satria did not only give UGM its third national 3-on-3 title from the recent Indonesian Varsities English Debate but they also came first, second, third on the tournament's individual tab. Whether they could keep the lead is still up in the air. UGM debaters had a strong start last year but failed to outlast the formidable Binus International pair of Jaran Walia, who eventually won the third DOTY title, and Invi Atmanegara in crucial competitions in the second half of 2013.

Besides the UGM trio, Fauzan Reza Maulana and Vicario Reinaldo from Institut Teknologi Bandung are also high on the list after their victory in the EFL category of the recent World Universities Debating Championships. In this month's count, DOTY 2013 rankings affected the order for those with the same total points. The table used a list of top 10 Indonesians in WUDC 2014's open speaker tab to feed the columns, disregarding their language statuses. The top 10 individuals on the DOTY 2014 list as of January 2014 is as follows:

1. Indriani Pratiwi (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
2. Alif Satria (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
3. Romario Tambunan (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
4. Fauzan Reza Maulana (Institut Teknologi Bandung)
5. Magreta Kailla Adenta (Universitas Indonesia)
6. Vicario Reinaldo (Institut Teknologi Bandung)
7. Revaldi Wirabuana (Universitas Indonesia)
8. Elvia Sumayastra (Universitas Indonesia)
9. Jaran Walia (Binus International)
10. Invi Atmanegara (Binus International)