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.
    

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)

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.

UADC 2014: Indonesian Results

A record of 17 teams from 12 Indonesian institutions went to the 2014 United Asian Debating Championships in Singapore but none could break into the main elimination stage. Universitas Gadjah Mada 2 (Romario Tambunan, Erwina Salsabila, Nabila Aghniarizqa) and Universitas Atma Jaya 1 (Cindy Fransisca, Kario Teguh, Silvya Suwandy) created the 5th all-Indonesian final streak  in the English-as-Foreign-Language category in as many years. UGM brought home the trophy. Here are the details of Indonesia's performance at Asia's most prestigious debating competition.

#30/#1EFL Universitas Gadjah Mada 2 5W-3L -- EFL champion
#48 Universitas Indonesia 1 4W-4L -- Non-EFL
#50 Universitas Gadjah Mada 1 4W-4L -- Non-EFL
#51/#2EFL Binus International 1 4W-4L -- EFL quarterfinalist
#65/#4EFL Binus University 1 4W-4L -- EFL semifinalist
#69/#5EFL Institut Teknologi Bandung 1 4W-4L -- EFL quarterfinalist
#76/#6EFL Institut Teknologi Bandung 2 4W-4L -- EFL quarterfinalist
#78/#7EFL Universitas Atma Jaya 1 3W-5L -- EFL finalist
#83 Universitas Parahyangan 1 3W-5L
#87 Universitas Parahyangan 2 3W-5L
#91 Universitas Padjadjaran 1 3W-5L
#92 Universitas Padjadjaran 2 3W-5L
#95 Universitas Pelita Harapan 1 3W-5L
#98 Institut Pertanian Bogor 1 3W-5L
#111 Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar 1 2W-6L
#113 Universitas Jenderal Soedirman 1 2W-6L
#118 Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar 2 1W-7L
  
Top 10 Indonesian Speakers
1. #30 Dennys Kapa (Universitas Indonesia 1)
2. #71 Nabila Aghniarizqa (Universitas Gadjah Mada 2)
3. #87 Erwina Salsabila (Universitas Gadjah Mada 2)
4. #90 Alif Satria (Universitas Gadjah Mada 1)
5. #94 Melisa Irene (Binus International 1)
6. #98 Indriani Pratiwi (Universitas Gadjah Mada 1)
7. #99 Romario Tambunan (Universitas Gadjah Mada 2)
8. #112 Thoriq Murtadho (Universitas Gadjah Mada 1)
9. #134 Kristi Ardiana (Universitas Indonesia 1)
10. #143 Cindy Fransisca (Universitas Atma Jaya 1)

Best Indonesian Adjudicator:
Boby Andika Ruitang (Universitas Indonesia)

UADC 2014: Key Results and Motions

Champion: #2 Nanyang Technological University 1 (Aditya Mitra, Lu Huiyi, Vihasini Gopakumar)
Finalist: #4 International Islamic University 1 (Ameera Moore, Syed Saddiq, Mubarrat Wassey)
Best Speaker: Maizura Mokhsein (Universiti Teknologi Mara 2)
Best EFL Team: #1EFL Universitas Gadjah Mada 2 (Erwina Salsabila, Nabila Aghniarizqa, Romario Tambunan)
EFL Finalist: #7EFL Universitas Atma Jaya 1 (Cindy Fransisca, Kario Teguh, Silvya Suwandy)

Top 10 Speakers:
1. Maizura Mokhsein (Universiti Teknologi Mara 2)
2. Allan Cabrera (Ateneo de Manila University 1)
3. Shafiq Bazari (Universiti Teknologi Mara 2)
4. Vihasini Gopakumar (Nanyang Technological University 1)
5. Paulina Robles (Ateneo de Manila University 1)
6. Rafiq Saladdin (Universiti Teknologi Mara 2)
7. Vinodhini Srinivasan (National Law School of India University 1)
8. Mifzal Mohammed (Universiti Teknologi Mara 1)
9. Xiao Hongyu (National University of Singapore 1)
10. Aniruddha Basu (National Law School of India University 1)  

Motions

R1.
THBT the trend of placing trigger warnings (sexual content, violence, suicide) for students in signing up for class courses is regressive for education
THW ban gender based initiatory organizations (fraternities and sororities)
THBT companies should be disallowed from attaching conditions to the scholarships they give out that lock individuals to specific industries

R2.
THW break up megacities
THW regrets the resignation of top officials over national scandals and/or tragedies
THW remove citizen-first hiring policies

R3.
In nations with high crime rate against women, THBT the international community should sanction the political elite in the country
THBT the feminist movement should actively support groups like the Gulabi Gang
THBT self-indentified pro-choice activists who have had an abortion should not publicly discuss their regret or grief about their experiences

R4.
THW prohibit the media from disclosing the political motivation of terrorist groups
THW only allow nudity in the media that plays a role in the story or furthers the narrative
THW require judicial approval prior to the release of classified information by journalist

R5.
THW discontinue the practice of victim testimony during sentencing hearings
THW prohibit the release of previously unpublished artistic works after the death of the creator, author or musician
THW reduce a prisoner's sentence for every state-approved book that they read

R6.
THBT the Philippines should allow other countries to set up military bases in parts of its territory in the exchange for money
THBT Singapore and Malaysia should place a moratorium on importing labour from Indonesia until they reform their environmental practices
THBT public figures serving in the Japanese government have a moral obligation not to visit the Yasukuni shrine

R7.
THW, as Dalai Lama, choose to be reincarnated outside China and Tibet
THW, as Pope Francis, expose the gay network in the Vatican
In impoverished nations, when members of the Church have a child beyond their financial means, THBT the Church should be responsible for the expenses of rearing the child

R8.
Regardless of consent, THBT families have a right to pull the plug on pregnant women on life support
THW limit the right to receive organ donations strictly to those who sign up as donors themselves
THW disallow mergers of big pharmaceutical companies

Pre-Octofinals
TH regrets the dominant narrative in children's education that good always wins
THBT parents who actively try to suppress a child's sexuality should be charged for abuse
THBT professional sports clubs should not be allowed to contract underage players to the their teams

Octofinals/EFL Quarterfinals
TH supports an African Union led initiative into Nigeria to combat Boko Haram
THBT India should institute an automatic right to refuge for persecuted Hindus
THBT the Pheu Thai party cede one term of governance to the Democratic Party

Quarterfinals/EFL Semifinals
THW prevent banks from owning a stake in the extraction, transportation, storage or distribution of physical commodities
TH condemns Turkey's move to facilitate oil exports from Kurdistan without the Iraqi federal government's consent
THW pay reparations to families of victims of the slave trade

Semifinals
THBT the Western media should not refer to Hamas as a terrorist organisation
THBT the occupation of the West Bank must be considered as ethnic cleansing
THBT the Pope, as the head of the Catholic Church, should not have called the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory the 'State of Palestine'.

Main Grand Final
THBT instead of countries directly giving aid, all development aid should be decided by an independent institution, which will not disclose the identity of the donor

EFL Grand Final
TH regrets the use of graphic imagery of suffering to promote altruistic causes

UADC 2014: Host Nanyang Reclaims Asian Crown

Host #2 Nanyang Technological University 1 (Aditya Mitra, Lu Huiyi, Vihasini Gopakumar) won the 5th United Asian Debating Championships, recapturing a title that the school won in 2012. NTU became the first institution to win UADC twice after defeating #4 International Islamic University Malaysia 1 (Ameera Moore, Syed Saddiq, Mubarrat Wassey) in the final. Maizura Mokhsein from Universiti Teknologi Mara topped the overall speaker tab.

UADC is the most prestigious 3-on-3 debate competition in Asia that came into being after the merger of the Asian Intervarsity Debating Championship and the Asian Universities Debating Championship in 2010. UADC will take place in Indonesia for the first time next year after the partnership between Binus University Jakarta and Denpasar-based Universitas Udayana won approval to hold it on the tourist island of Bali.

UADC 2014: UGM Wins EFL Title in 5th All-Indonesian Final

UGM 2 - UADC 2014 EFL Champion

#1EFL Universitas Gadjah Mada 2 (Erwina Salsabila, Romario Tambunan, Nabila Aghniarizqa) grabbed the best English-as-Foreign-Language team title in the 2014 United Asian Debating Championships. In the fifth consecutive all-Indonesian UADC EFL final, UGM 2 knocked down the motion 'This House Regrets the Use of Graphic Imagery of Suffering to Promote Altruistic Cause' proposed by #7EFL Universitas Atma Jaya 1 (Cindy Fransisca, Kario Teguh, Silvya Suwandy). UGM's Romario Tambunan was the best speaker in the EFL final.

More than a dozen Indonesian teams went to the 5th UADC at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore but none broke into the main knockouts while six squads qualified for the EFL quarterfinals. UGM 2 was also the best Indonesian team in the preliminaries with a 5-3 win-loss record but it failed to break into main elimination on speaker points after finishing at #30 when only 24 teams could advance. Next year the tournament will be held in Bali after a partnership between Binus University and Universitas Udayana won the approval of the UADC council. Hopefully, home crowd advantage will not only help Indonesian debaters continue the EFL winning streak but also break into the elite club of Asian debating.  

UADC 2014: UGM, Atma Create 5th All-Indonesia EFL Final

For the fifth time in as many years, two Indonesian teams will meet in the final of the United Asian Debating Championship's English-as-Foreign-Language category. #1EFL Universitas Gadjah Mada 2 (Erwina Salsabila, Nabila Aghniarizqa, Romario Tambunan) tomorrow will face #7EFL Universitas Atma Jaya 1 (Cindy Fransisca, Kario Teguh, Silvya Suwandy) who defeated the last non-Indonesian team standing #3EFL Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. The 5th UADC will have the tournament's fifth Indonesian EFL champion.

While the Indonesian streak in the EFL division of UADC is a proud achievement, success in the open category has been elusive. No Indonesian team has managed to sail into the main knockouts of the current form of Asia's top debate competition, which only started in 2010. UGM 2, the best performing Indonesian team in the prelims of UADC 2014, came out as #30 when only 24 teams could advance. Several Indonesian teams broke into the main elimination rounds of previous forms before 2010. 

UADC 2014: No Unbeaten Team After 8 Rounds

All of the 24 teams that are eligible to compete in the main elimination stage of the 2014 United Asian Debating Championships have at least lost once in the preliminaries, indicating the tight competition in Asia's most prestigious tournament. #1 Universiti Teknologi Mara 2 (Maizura Mokhsein, Shafiq Bazari, Rafiq Saladin) broke first with a 7-1 win-loss record after 8 rounds. The knockouts start tomorrow.    

1. Universiti Teknologi Mara 2 (MY)
2. Nanyang Technological University 1 (SG)
3. National University of Singapore 1 (SG)
4. International Islamic University 1 (MY)
5. San Beda College 1 (PH)
6. Ateneo de Manila University 1 (PH)
7. University of Tokyo 1 (JP)
8. Universiti Teknologi Mara 1 (MY)
9. National University of Singapore 2 (SG)
10. Ateneo de Manila University 2 (PH)
11. Singapore Management University 2 (SG)
12. University of the Philippines Diliman 1 (PH)
13. National Law Institute University 1 (IN)
14. Universiti Malaya 1 (MY)
15. Multimedia University Melaka 1 (MY)
16. Nanyang Technological University 2 (SG)
17. Lahore School of Economics 1 (PK)
18. National Law School of India University 1 (IN)
19. Far Eastern University 1 (PH)
20. International Islamic University 3 (MY)
21. Korea University 1 (KR)
22. Singapore Management University 1 (SG)
23. National University of Singapore 3 (SG)
24. Nanyang Technological University 2 (SG)

UADC 2014: R3 Delayed, UGM Team Still Unbeaten

The first day of debates in the 5th United Asian Debating Championship ended with the organizers postponing preliminary round 3 due to technical issues. UADC 2014 has 8 prelims that must finish on May 29 when the break should be announced. This could mean the third day would have 3 debates, one more than scheduled, affecting the time for the announcement.

Twelve Indonesian institutions sent teams to Nanyang Technological University for Asia's most prestigious 3-on-3 debate tournament. One of the strongest among them, Universitas Gadjah Mada 1 (Alif Satria, Indriani Pratiwi, Thoriq Murtadho), concluded the day undefeated after beating teams from Hong Kong Polytechnic and reigning champion University of the Philippines Diliman. While Indonesian teams created all-Indonesia finals in the English-as-Foreign-Language category in all four past UADC editions, none of them succeeded to break into the open knockouts. With almost 20 Indonesian teams in this year's tournament, the hope is some could slip into the top 24 teams that will be eligible to advance into the main elimination stage.     

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.

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.

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.  

ABP 2013: List of Motions

Open GF. THBT military conscription should be regarded as a war crime
Open SF. THBT Southeast Asian nations should not help to stop the flow of asylum seekers to Australia
Open QF. Michael murdered his wife and 2 children. In his bid to escape the police, he fell and his his head. As a result of the fall, he lost all his memories after age 5. THW not convict Michael of any crime
EFL GF. THW ban all donations to religious organizations
EFL SF. THBT the US should reform its political system to encourage the creation of smaller parties
EFL QF. You are a doctor at an IVF clinic. A prominent conservative politician is at your clinic seeking IVF treatment. A 'gay gene' has been identified and one of the politician's embryo carries it. THW implant the gay embryo
R9. THW allow individuals to contract out of all basic employment provision in their contracts in return for increased wage
R8. THBT indigenous groups who live in geographically separate area should be given their own completely autonomous government
R7. THW prohibit financial settlements in lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies
R6. THBT media should never report on crimes intended to attract public attention
R5. THW ban Google from retaining users' data
R4. THBT Iran should take a leading role in the negotiation in Syria
R3. THW stop teaching classic literary works in favour of recently written text when teaching literature in school
R2. THW only prosecute the management, not the athlete, for usage of performance enhancing drugs
R1. THW ban all arranged marriage

ABP 2013: Key Results

Champions: #3 National University of Singapore A (Kelvin Chong & Xiao Hongyu)
Finalists: #1 Universiti Teknologi Mara A (Maizura Mokhsein & Shafiq Bazari), #2 Nanyang Techonological University A (Vihasini Gopakumar & Lu Huiyi), #9 International Islamic University A (Syed Saddiq & Mubarrat Wassey)
Best Speaker: Shafiq Bazari (Universiti Teknologi Mara A)

EFL Champions: #6EFL Sichuan University A (Yu Jing & Chen Jing)
EFL Finalists: #1EFL Binus International A (Jaran Walia & Melisa Irene), #5EFL Binus International B (Wilson Salim & Andrianto Khiputra), #16EFL Universitas Indonesia B (Anastasia Sijabat & Magreta Kailla Adenta)
Note: UI B ended prelims at #17EFL but got promoted to #16EFL after NENU A, originally #9EFL, failed to meet eligibility rules
EFL Best Speaker: Jaran Walia (Binus International A)

Top 10 Speakers
1. Shafiq Bazari (Universiti Teknologi Mara A)
2. Maizura Mokhsein (Universiti Teknologi Mara A)
3. Vihasini Gopakumar (Nanyang Technological University A)
4. Kenneth Kang (National University of Singapore B)
4. Alfred Goh (Singapore Management University A)
6. Xiao Hongyu (National University of Singapore A)
6. Kelvin Chong (National University of Singapore A)
6. Syed Saddiq (International Islamic University A)
9. Lu Huiyi (Nanyang Technological University A)
10. Bryan Chan (National University of Singapore B)

Top 10 EFL Speakers
1. Jaran Walia (Binus International A)
2. Du Tian (Beihang University C)
3. Oscar Liang Yipeng (Sun Yat Sen University A)
4. Florence Choy (Chinese University of Hong Kong A)
5. Hao Xiaowei (Northeastern University Qinhuangdao A)
6. Melisa Irene (Binus International A)
6. Lynn Shen Ling (Sun Yat Sen University A)
8. Kim Yeeun (Chung Ang University A)
8. Yu Jing (Sichuan University A)
10. Cassandra Etania Liem (Binus University A)
10. Wilson Salim (Binus International B)

ABP 2013: EFL Title Slips Away From Indonesia Again, NUS Keeps Trophy

Just like last year, three Indonesian teams reached the final of the English-as-Foreign-Language category of the 2013 Asian British Parliamentary debate tournament and had to beat the only non-Indonesian squad in the room. Unfortunately for Indonesia, history repeated itself -- the odd team won. In 2012, it was Waseda University from Japan. This year Sichuan University from host country China denied the Indonesians - Binus International A (Jaran Walia & Melisa Irene), Binus International B (Andrianto Khiputra & Wilson Salim) and Universitas Indonesia B (Anastasia Sijabat & Magreta Kailla Adenta).

There was some consolation this time, though. Jaran Walia, who has had an amazing debating year, grabbed the best EFL speaker award.  Schoolmates Melisa Irene and Wilson Salim also got into the top 10 EFL speaker list.

In the open category, history also repeated itself. National University of Singapore debaters Kelvin Chong and Xiao Hongyu reclaimed the title that they won last year. In the final, #3 NUS A defeated #1 Universiti Teknologi Mara A (Maizura Mokhsein & Shafiq Bazari), #2 Nanyang Technological University A (Vihasini Gopakumar & Lu Huiyi) and #9 International Islamic University A (Syed Saddiq & Mubarrat Wassey) in a debate with the motion "This House Believes That Military Conscription Should Regarded as a War Crime". For the fourth consecutive time, UT Mara's Mai Mokhsein fell in the grandfinal. Her partner Shafiq Bazari bagged the overall best speaker prize.  

ABP 2013: Bipeds, UI Face Sichuan in EFL Final

#2EFL Binus International A (Jaran Walia & Melisa Irene), #5EFL Binus International B (Andrianto Khiputra & Wilson Salim) and #16EFL Universitas Indonesia B (Anastasia Sijabat & Magreta Kailla Adenta) will fight for the title in the English-as-Foreign-Language category of the 2013 Asian British Parliamentary debate competition after defeating their semifinal opponents. Sichuan University from host country China will join them in the grand final later today.

ABP 2013: It's Indonesia v China in EFL Semifinals

Four Indonesian teams advanced into the semifinals of the English-as-Foreign-Language category at the 2013 Asian British Parliamentary Debate in China, taking half of the available slots. The rest of the semifinalists will come from the host country.

An all-Indonesian EFL final is possible. #2EFL Binus International A (Jaran Walia & Melisa Irene) and #15EFL Universitas Indonesia A (Ibrahim Panji Indra & Stella Kusumawardhani) will be in one chamber with 2 Chinese pairs while #5EFL Binus International B (Andrianto Khiputra & Wilson Salim) and #16EFL Universitas Indonesia B (Anas Sijabat & Magreta Kaila Adenta) will debate in the other against 2 other teams from China. The top 2 in each room will fight for the title in the final.

No Indonesian team slipped into the top 24 that can go into the open knockouts. Just like in the EFL section, the main semifinals will also be about two countries. The surviving 8 in the open competition all come from either Singapore or Malaysia. All remaining matches will take place tomorrow.