WSDC 2014: Best Team Indonesia Ever with 6 Wins and 16 Judge Points

Team Indonesia in WSDC 2014 at Assumption University Bangkok (l to r) : Riza Aryani (coach), Kevin Bonaparte (SMA 17 Makassar), Alif Azadi (SMA Modal Bangsa Aceh), John Amadeo (Raffles International School Jakarta), Regina Cara Riantoputra (SMA 2 Tangerang Selatan), Marsa Harisa (SMA 9 Yogyakarta), Subarkah Syafruddin (coach)

Team Indonesia advanced into the octofinals of the 2014 World Schools Debating Championships in Bangkok with 6 wins and 2 losses, the best ever record by the country's high school debaters. Indonesia had only broken twice before, in 2003 and 2004, both times with a 5-3 record in the 8-round mandatory stage. The 2010 team also won 5 times in the preliminaries but came short from breaking.

In the preliminaries, Team Indonesia defeated 6 European squads - Sweden, Greece, Romania, Turkey, Estonia and an English-as-first-language team Wales, which reached the final of WSDC in 2012. They only lost to WSDC 2010 champion Canada and United Arab Emirates. Team Indonesia broke as the 11th team on the list, equalling the rank of the WSDC 2003 squad. Indonesia's upset win over Wales made the latter fail to break in the end but it was not the only favourite that collapsed. Former champions Scotland and the United States also could not qualify into the Top 16.

Team Indonesia 2014 consist of Alif Azadi (SMA Modal Bangsa Aceh), Kevin Bonaparte (SMA 17 Makassar), Marsa Harisa (SMA 9 Yogyakarta), Regina Cara Riantoputra (SMA 2 Tangerang Selatan) and John Amadeo (Raffles International Christian School Jakarta). Their overall speaker score was quite high, indicating some of them may enter the top 50 speaker list. Only two Indonesians have entered that illustrious list - sisters Siti Astrid Kusumawardhani and Siti Soraya Cassandra in 2003 and 2005, respectively.

Their coaches are Australs ESL champion Subarkah Syafruddin, an Universitas Indonesia alumnus who guided Team Indonesia to respectable 4-4 finishes in WSDC 2012 and 2013, and his Australs teammate and fellow UI graduate Riza Aryani. The coaches fought for the provision of the fifth seat in the team for a debater who comes from outside the education ministry system of selection.

That fifth member, John Amadeo who comes from an English-speaking school, was an integral part of the success. The two girls in the squad, Regina Cara Riantoputra and Marsa Harisa, are well-known high school debating stars with numerous best speaker awards. Team Indonesia 2014 also had two non-Java debaters, Kevin Bonaparte from South Sulawesi and Alif Azadi from Aceh, who showed there should be no barriers for debaters in Indonesia to excel if they work hard to enhance their skills through rigorous training.

But this is not new. Non-Java debaters have been a vital part of the WSDC squads since Indonesia first joined the competition in 2001. The first Team Indonesia was even captained by a student from West Kalimantan. Time and again, non-Java high school debaters have proven they can compete with the rest. However, almost all of the non-Java WSDC debaters ended up debating for Java-based universities. This is the Indonesian debating world's brain drain issue that should start from making non-Java educational institutions attractive for these high school stars.

In the octofinal, Team Indonesia had to end their amazing journey in the hands of defending champions Australia, which later fell in the quarterfinal. Although WSDC 2014 has become the tournament of upsets with favourites exiting early, the semifinal debates had four English-as-first-language teams. The final will be between undefeated #1 South Africa, which is bent on becoming Africa's first WSDC champion, and #3 England, the three-time winner.

WSDC 2014: Indonesia With 2 Wins So Far in Unpredictable Tourney

At the mid-way point of the 2014 World Schools Debating Championship, Team Indonesia has collected 2 wins from 4 rounds. There are 4 preliminaries to go with an open chance to break into the top 16. Our national squad defeated lowly ranked Sweden and  highly seeded Greece. They lost to the 2010 champion Canada and United Arab Emirates, which are among the top ten favorites. In the next 4 rounds, they will face opponents with more or less of the same quality. They need at least 5 wins out of 8 debates to be able to advance into the elimination stage.

The tournament itself has been full of surprises, showing the tight level of competition. Former WSDC champions Scotland and Singapore bowed to underdogs China and Germany, respectively in round 1. Barbados, a team with erratic participation and without a good track record in WSDC, is becoming a dark horse with 3 wins out of 4. All teams have lost at least one judge point.  

Team Indonesia 2014 consist of Alif Azadi (SMA Modal Bangsa Aceh), Kevin Bonaparte (SMA 17 Makassar), Marsa Harisa (SMA 9 Yogyakarta), Regina Cara Riantoputra (SMA 2 Tangerang Selatan)
and John Amadeo (Raffles International Christian School Jakarta). Their coaches are Australs ESL champion Subarkah Syafruddin, an Universitas Indonesia alumnus who guided Team Indonesia to respectable 4-4 finishes in WSDC 2012 and 2013,  and his Australs teammate and fellow UI graduate Riza Aryani.

Indonesia has only broken twice into the WSDC out rounds, in 2003 and 2004, both times with a 5-3 record in the 8-round mandatory stage. The 2010 team also won 5 times in the preliminaries but came short from breaking. The 2013 team won the best EFL team award.

NUDC 2014: Biggest National Round to Take Place on Batam Island

Universitas Batam will host the final battles of the 2014 National Universities Debating Championship from August 19 to 24. This will be the biggest ever NUDC following the expansion from 96 teams to 112. This is due to the new education ministry policy that created two new regional offices, increasing the number to 14 from 12. Sticking to its geographical representation principles, the ministry still allows each regional office to send 8 teams each, regardless of skill level.

So, the expansion means a hike in quantity, not quality. The regional offices that were broken into smaller units all were among those that had the worst performing teams. There will be 8 teams from the remote West Papua/Papua region alone after they no longer need to compete with universities in Maluku. The same thing goes to Aceh province, which will have 8 teams, although it had difficulty to qualify more than one when it was still part of the northern Sumatra regional division. There will be a lot more teams with insufficient understanding about what a good competitive debate should be like. This will give extra pressure to adjudicators in reviewing debates with low clarity.  

While many of the participating teams are new, the main adjudication panel is not. Last year's chief adjudicator Boby Andika Ruitang from Universitas Indonesia returns to lead the judges along with three deputies who come from the three most successful state universities in debating. They are UI's Egalita Irfan, the best speaker of the 2012 Indonesia Varsities English Debate, Erwina Salsabila, the EFL champion of United Asian Debating Championship 2014 from Universitas Gadjah Mada, and Alris Alfharisi, the EFL Champion of UADC 2013 from Institut Teknologi Bandung. They will face the tough challenge to decide motions that can be understood and give added value to a pool of debaters who mainly may have limited insight into the most contemporary topics. They will also need to make sure all teams, including total greenhorns, get fair adjudication for their efforts.

The teams are as follows (alphabetical within their regions):

Region I (North Sumatra)
Akademi Sekretari Manajemen Cendana, Politeknik Ganesha, STBA Persahabtan Internasional Asia, STIE IT&B, STMIK Mikroskil, Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara, Universitas Muhammadiyah Tapanuli Selatan, Universitas Sumatera Utara,   

Region II (South Sumatra, Lampung, Bengkulu, Bangka Belitung)
Politeknik Sriwijaya, STBA Teknokrat, STIE Musi Palembang, STKIP Muhammadiyah Pringsewu, Universitas Bengkulu, Universitas Bina Darma, Universitas Lampung, Universitas Sriwijaya,  

Region III (Greater Jakarta, Banten)
Institut Pertanian Bogor, Sekolah Tinggi Parawisata Trisakti, Universitas Bakrie, Universitas Bina Nusantara, Universitas Indonesia, Universitas Kristen Indonesia, Universitas Paramadina, Universitas Pelita Harapan

Region IV (West Java)
Politeknik Negeri Bandung, Institut Teknologi Bandung, STKIP Siliwangi, Universitas Komputer Indonesia, Universitas Padjadjaran,  Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Universitas Telkom, Universitas Wiralodra 

Region V (Yogyakarta)
STBA LIA Yogyakarta, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Universitas Islam Indonesia, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Universitas Sanata Dharma

Region VI (Central Java)
Universitas Dian Nuswantoro, Universitas Diponegoro, Universitas Jenderal Soedirman, Universitas Katolik Soegijapranata, Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana, Universitas Negeri Sebelas Maret, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Universitas PGRI Semarang 

Region VII (East Java)
Politeknik Negeri Malang, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Universitas Airlangga, Universitas Brawijaya, Universitas Jember, Universitas Katolik Widya Mandala Surabaya, Universitas Negeri Malang, Universitas Surabaya 

Region VIII (Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara)
Politeknik Negeri Bali, STIBA Saraswati, STIKES Bali, Universitas Mahasaraswati, Universitas Mataram, Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha, Universitas Udayana, Universitas Warmadewa

Region IX (Sulawesi)
Politeknik Negeri Ujung Pandang, Universitas Hasanuddin, Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar, Universitas Muhammadiyah Pare-Pare, Universitas Muslim Indonesia, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Universitas Negeri Makassar,  Universitas Sam Ratulangi

Region X (West Sumatra, Jambi, Riau, Riau Islands)
Politeknik Negeri Batam, Politeknik Negeri Bengkalis, Universitas Andalas, Universitas Batam, Universitas Jambi, Universitas Mahaputra Muhammad Yamin, Universitas Negeri Padang, Universitas Riau

Region XI (Kalimantan)
IKIP PGRI Pontianak, Politeknik Negeri Banjarmasin, STKIP PGRI Banjarmasin, Universitas Balikpapan, Universitas Lambung Mangkurat, Universitas Mulawarman, Universitas Palangka Raya, Universitas Tanjungpura 

Region XII (Maluku, North Maluku)
STIKES Maluku Husada, STIKOM Ambon, STKIP Kie Raha Ternate, Universitas Iqra Buru, Universitas Khairun, Universitas Kristen Indonesia Maluku, Universitas Muhammadiyah Ternate, Universitas Pattimura

Region XIII (Aceh)
STKIP Bina Bangsa, STKIP Muhammadiyah Aceh Barat Daya, Universitas Abulyatama, Universitas Al Muslim, Universitas Jabal Ghafur, Universitas Serambi Mekkah, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Universitas Ubudiyah

Region XIV (West Papua, Papua)
STKIP Muhammadiyah Sorong, Universitas Cenderawasih, Universitas Muhammadiyah Sorong, Universitas Musamus Merauke, Universitas Negeri Papua, Universitas Sains dan Teknologi Jayapura, Universitas Victory Sorong, Universitas Yapis Papua,  

The top teams in NUDC have always come from the same places. For the last three years, the title has been held by Jakarta-based Binus University. Non-Java teams have never reached the semifinal of NUDC. However, powerhouses are constrained by the regulation that a school can only send one team to NUDC. The fact is schools that have the chance to win still come from a very small circle, all of them are Java-based. Hence, for the top teams, real competition only starts at the top 16 stage.

The reality is still harsh for non-Java teams. Without better training and sustainable support for non-Java debaters, this divide has little likelihood to change. Simply sending debaters to competitions is not enough for non-Java institutions. The things good debaters do before a competition  -practicing, case-building, reading materials, watching debate videos- need to be done consistently by the non-Java debaters if they want to catch up. This does not mean a debater who comes from a remote place in Indonesia cannot excel on the national stage. In this year's NUDC, one of the debaters who have the chance to emerge as best speaker actually went to a high school in East Nusa Tenggara, one of the poorest provinces in the country. UI's Dennys Kapa is now part of the elite class of Indonesian debaters because he trained hard for years and had a supporting environment in his current university.  

WUDC 2015: 10 Indonesian Teams Secure Slots, ITB Missing

Ten teams from 7 Indonesian institutions are on the updated attendance list of the 2015 World Universities Debating Championship in Kuala Lumpur. Those who have been part of the original list should pay before July 31 while teams that got updated allocations have until August 29 to meet their payment obligations. The number of Indonesian participants may increase if other teams from Indonesia can get on the main list after the aforementioned deadlines. Institut Teknologi Bandung, which championed the 2014 WUDC's English-as-Foreign-Language category, was missing from the main list after its allocation was dropped. Click here to access the registration list. The 10 teams are as follows:
 
Universitas Indonesia - 3 teams
Universitas Gadjah Mada - 2 teams
Binus International - 1 teamBinus University - 1 team
Institut Pertanian Bogor - 1 team
Universitas Atma Jaya Jakarta - 1 team
Universitas Padjadjaran - 1 team

WSDC 2014: Draw's Out, Indonesia Meets 5 Familiar Rivals

The draw for the 2014 World Schools Debating Championships in Bangkok for Team Indonesia looks quiet similar to last year's. They will face Wales, Romania, United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Greece again. Indonesia lost to the first three and defeated the last two in WSDC 2013. The other opponents will be Canada, Sweden and Estonia. Indonesia has never lost to Sweden and Estonia before in WSDC.

All WSDC teams must debate 8 different teams in the preliminary stage, supposedly one from each of the 8 rank-based groupings. However, this year Indonesia received an unlucky draw that has led the team to meet 2 B class countries and none from the H class. Indonesia is in the E grouping (#25-30) and ranks #28 out of 46 contestants. The WSDC groupings are calculated based on victories and judge votes in the past 3 championships. Canada is from group A. So, it is the highest ranked team Indonesia will face in the mandatory rounds. Four preliminaries have prepared motions and the other four rounds are impromptu. Winning less than 5 prelims guarantees seats in the audience during the knockouts.

Since its WSDC entry in 2001, Indonesia has broken twice into the octofinals in 2003 and 2004, both with 5 wins. The highest achievement is #11 in 2003 but the team which collected the most judge votes was the one that went to WSDC 2010 in Qatar. Unfortunately, the latter did not break although they also collected 5 wins. Only the top 16 teams can break into the knockouts. Last year, Team Indonesia won the best English-as-Foreign-Language team award ended at #22 after having a 4-4 record.

The members of Team Indonesia 2014 are Alif Azadi (SMA Modal Bangsa Aceh), Kevin Bonaparte (SMA 17 Makassar), Marsa Harisa (SMA 9 Yogyakarta), Regina Cara Riantoputra (SMA 2 Tangerang Selatan) and John Amadeo (Raffles International Christian School Jakarta). There is no returning member in this team, one aspect that will be common in other contingents. The coaches are Subarkah Syafrudin and Riza Aryani, former Universitas Indonesia debaters who won the English-as-Second-Language category of the 2011 Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships.

The draw, speaking positions and motions for Team Indonesia 2014's debates are as follows:
R0 Prop vs United Arab Emirates  (#9/B) - Impromptu

R1 Opp vs Canada (#6/A) - THBT post-revolution states should delegate trials of former rulers and high-ranking officials to the International Criminal Court
R3 Prop vs Sweden (#40/G) - THW allow prisoners to volunteer for drug trials in exchange for lighter sentences

R4 Opp vs Greece (#10/B) - Impromptu
R5 Opp vs Romania (#34/F) - THBT slum tourism does more harm than good

R6 Prop vs Wales (#16/C) - Impromptu
R7 Prop vs Estonia (#20/D) - THW lift tax exemptions from religious institutions that refuse to recognize marriage equality

R8 Opp vs Turkey (#27/E) - Impromptu

DOTY 2014: UGM Duo Keep Lead After Asian Success

Universitas Gadjah Mada debaters Romario Tambunan and Indriani Pratiwi are still leading the 2014 Debater of the Year table after good results in this year's United Asian Debating Championship. The former won the 2014 UADC's English-as-Foreign-Language category while both were among the top 10 Indonesian speakers in the Asia's most prestigious tournament. Their strong run this year began when they triumphed in the national 3-on-3 championship last January.

The 2014 edition of Java Overland Varsities English Debate, the first debate tournament in Indonesia with an internationally accepted format, also contributed to the current standing. Binus International sibling debaters Melisa Irene and Wilson Salim took home the best team and individual awards from the competition, which was held in Semarang. Both of them have now slipped into the top ten of the DOTY 2014 table, which can be found below. The full list can be accessed here.

1. Romario Tambunan (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
2. Indriani Pratiwi (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
3. Melisa Irene (Binus International)
4. Roderick Sibarani (Universitas Indonesia)
5. Erwina Salsabila (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
6. Vicario Reinaldo (Institut Teknologi Bandung)
7. Alif Satria (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
8. Cindy Fransisca (Universitas Atma Jaya)
9. Wilson Salim (Binus International)
10. Magreta Kailla Adenta (Universitas Indonesia)

UI Debater Defends Jakarta Mini Title with an UI Alumnus

Final year Universitas Indonesia student Dennys Kapa retained his title in Jakarta Mini 2014 but with a different partner, Ahmad Naufal Dai, who graduated from UI a few years ago. In the final, Dennys' team defeated his accomplice from last year's tournament, Rifan Ibnu Rahman, who debated with Dhia Fairus Shofia. The other finalists were Aulia Anggita & Ibrahim Panji Indra from UI and Aulia Widyaputra & Muhammad Lutfi from Institut Teknologi Bandung. Jakarta Mini is a small-size British Parliamentary open competition held by Binus University, which annually attracts strong debaters from across the main island of Java.    

Victoria Wellington Wins Australs 2014, Third Title in 5 Years

#1 Victoria University of Wellington 1 (Asher Emanuel, Jodie O'Neill, Nicholas Cross) championed the 2014 Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships after defeating #3 University of Sydney 2 (Evie Woodforde, Joanna Connolly, Emma Johnstone) in the grand final in Otago, New Zealand. The trio reached the final last year but lost to another Sydney 2 team with different members. It was Victoria's sixth Australs title, the third triumph in the last five years. Victoria's Asher Emanuel also became the best speaker of the tournament. International Islamic University 1 (Ameera Moore, Mubarrat Wassey, Ahmad Hazim Norahmadi)  won the English-as-Second Language category. Ameera Moore and Mubarrat Wassey repeated last year's achievement.