DOTY 2014: UGM Debaters Flood Top 10 After Busy September

Universitas Gadjah Mada debaters did not only keep the pole position in the 2014 Debater of the Year table but also took the majority of spots in the Top 10 after results from six tournaments in September were added. Six UGM debaters now claim the eight highest ranks of DOTY 2014. Indriani Pratiwi is still leading the pack following her victory in the Bawor Cup. Other UGM speakers received bonus points by reaching the semifinals of the Indonesia Debate Open, which had more international participants than local ones due to the high registration fee. The DOTY table appreciates achievements in open international tournaments. IDO 2014, which had no Indonesian debater in the final, had a definite international flavour.

The other September tournaments that the DOTY calculations considered were the agricultural debate in Bogor, where host Institut Pertanian Bogor pulled off an upset against a highly favoured UGM team, the Just for Fun debate at Universitas Indonesia, the National Debate Competition-National Economic Seminar in Bandung and the debate competition at Universitas Soegijapranata in Semarang.

The only debaters who can spoil the rise of the first DOTY from UGM come from UI and all of them just graduated in August. Graduates still can harvest points if they start the year as a student. It is common practice in the international debating world to give a grace period for such debaters. If these debaters are allowed to compete in the World Universities Debating Championship at the end of the year, DOTY will also count them in. Indeed, the two most recent DOTYs secured the title after they graduated. This year the chance is not as large because there are only two national tournaments left that allow graduates to compete, Ganesha Open and Founders Trophy, and the UGM students are leading the table with a comfortable cushion. It is more likely to see a UGM debater snatch the title considering the available opportunities. 

DOTY 2014 Top 10 as of September:

1. Indriani Pratiwi (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
2. Dennys Kapa (Universitas Indonesia)
3. Romario Tambunan (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
4. Wida Wahyuni (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
5. Alif Satria (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
6. Noel Hasintongan (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
7. Roderick Sibarani (Universitas Indonesia)
8. Erwina Salsabila (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
9. Aulia Anggita Larasati (Universitas Indonesia)
10. Melisa Irene (Binus International)

Host IPB Wins Agricultural Debate, Beats UGM Favourites

Little known debaters from Institut Pertanian Bogor, Indonesia's top agricultural school, showed thematic competency can ensure victory with their triumph in the Debate Competition on Environment and Agriculture that was held on their own campus yesterday. In the final, IPB A (Anwari Sugiharto & Adhi Pranata), who had failed to excel in past tournaments, defeated runaway favourite Universitas Gadjah Mada A (Caessar Pronocitro & Erwina Salsabila), both debaters have won prestigious awards for years, UGM B (Wida Wahyuni & Noel Hasintongan) and Universitas Indonesia A (Qurrat Abu Ayub & Ayu Sistiafi). This was the first time IPB championed a well-attended debate competition, let alone an international one.

The success in the final was no fluke because IPB debater Adhi Pranata also topped the individual tab and his partner Anwari Sugiharto came second on that list, showing their prominence in the preliminary rounds. In line with the competition's name, most debates had an agricultural theme. The winners were the only agricultural students in the final, in which they proposed the lifting of protectionist policies on agricultural products, an issue that they study at the university. The other finalists were international relations, french literature, biology and medical students.
    

IDEA Launches Global Debate Census

The International Debate Education Association (IDEA), the organisation behind the popular online debating resource Debatabase, seeks to find out the number of people involved in competitive debating all over the globe. The census needs help from all debating societies, including in Indonesia. If you can provide details of  your club's membership, please spare a minute and fill a simple form that can be found at www.idebate.org/debate-census.