The Malaysian
contingent at NTU UADC 2014 (Singapore) | Source: UT MARA Debate Society
The room was full of tension. Sitting across us in the government bench
were the University of Western Canada. Next to them in their opening half was
the University of Belgrade. On our right was the University of British
Columbia, debating as our opening opposition. The motion of the round was “This
House Regrets the commodification of Indigenous Culture.”
Judging the room was the enigmatic Li Sheng Wu from Oxford University.
Some may know him as Lee Kuan Yew’s grandson. Everybody was desperate for those
last 3 points. After 9 gruelling preliminary rounds, the winner of this debate
will proceed to the knock out rounds of the World University Debating
Championship.
Prep Time
Source: Malaysian National Intervarsity
No one starts being a great debater automatically. Everyone has to start
from somewhere. To be fair, preparing a 7 minute speech in a parliamentary
debate in 15 minutes can sound daunting to the outsider. You will also be
forced into positions that you might feel uncomfortable with.
However, do it enough times, you will be transformed to a new person.
The first 7 minutes are baby steps as you learn to visit more complex ideas.
For every single argument you make, you will hear a counter argument that
challenge your views.
What you thought was absurd, slowly deconstructs as you go through more
debates. As you learn about the many characters in life, you will understand
why people react to things differently. Be it due to their socio-economic
background, their race, their religion, or even their culture. You will see the
bigger picture and learn to empathize with the problems of others.
The misconception that people have about arguing is that the loudest and
brashest often come out on top. The world of parliamentary debates instead
rewards the rational speaker and who is most able to relate an idea to the
audience. Due to this, debaters learn how respect another person’s opinion
without hating them. Debating literally, turns you into a more understanding
person.
Debating also makes you an even more multi-layered character. The wide
range of topics, from philosophy to economics, from ethics in sports to gender
politics forces you to be well-versed in current issues. Acknowledging the
diversity in the real world, speakers learns how fine tune their language in
order to gain trust in listeners.
All of those are lessons that cannot be taught in the regular class
room. Only with the constant interaction in this intellectual sport you will
gain this skill.
The New Malaysian Dominion
Champions of Asia |
Source: IIUM English Debating
Club
Debating didn’t just transform me; it created a new class of
intelligentsia in the country. These new breed of thinkers challenge the
conventional and dominate the global debating scene.
In recent years, Malaysia has become a major force in South East Asian
debating. University Malaya (UM) recently won the ESL (English as a Second
Language) category for “Australs” (Australasian University Debating
Championship). The UT MARA Debating Society, managed to reach the quarters of
the open category, only to lose to the reigning champion, University of Sydney.
The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Debate team
recently won the UADC 2015(United Asian Debating Championship) in Bali. In
fact, it was a historic all-Malaysian grand final with the UT MARA Debating
Society as runner ups. The overall best speaker prize also went to a Malaysian,
Syed Saddiq of IIUM while Mifzal Mohammed from UT MARA was crowned as the
Finals Best Speaker. Just the year before that in the Singaporean edition, IIUM
ranked 2nd with Maizura Mokhsein from UT MARA was crowned as the best speaker
in Asia.
Ameera Natasha Moore
& Jainah Jaafar at the BFM | Source: Jainah Jaafar
On the world stage, IIUM managed to rank in top 10 teams, standing tall
with teams from Harvard, Cambridge and Hart House. Even Asia Pacific University
managed to reach the top 30.
Malaysia’s dominance didn’t stop at varsity debating. Many of Malaysia’s
top debaters adopted their own Secondary School teams and started grooming them
at an early age. Most recently, the Malaysian contingent managed to rank 7th out of 53
countries in the World Schools Debating Championship.
Outside the competitive debating scene, the same crop of debaters has
been part of MIDP’s (Malaysian Institute of Debate and Public Speaking)
collaboration with BFM. Jainah Jafaar (UT MARA) and Ameera Natasha Moore (IIUM)
recently squared off in a debate about political funding. Brave enough to
discuss controversial topics, debaters Syed Saddiq (IIUM) and Mifzal Mohammed
(UT MARA) exchanged jabs over the hot button issue of POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act). The Rohingnya refugee
crisis was also debated by Deborah Woong (Universiti Malaya) and Kelviin
Manuel Pillay (KDU Debate Association).
The Path Everyone Should Take
The Kuching Debate
League, a debate development program co-hosted by institutions in Kuching &
Samarahan | Source: UNIMAS Debate Society
I didn’t win the final preliminary round stated above. We unfortunately
ranked 4th in the room, with the University of Western Canada topping
the round. I attended the Malaysian edition the year after also with
unfortunate results.
However, never did I regret every single ounce of effort I put in the
game. This intellectual sport to me was a great equalizer and an amazing
networking machine. I came from a middle class family from the suburbs of
Kuching. Never had I thought I would be trading quips with the brightest minds
of Ivy League universities or Oxbridge.
Judging from the accomplishments made by the Malaysian front line,
anyone can reach great heights.
Even if you don’t rank high in the debating world, the skills you obtain
along the way change the way you think. You will force yourself to see both
sides to every issue, effectively taking you away from your echo chamber. Learn
how to understand the other side, learn how to disagree and respect another
person’s opinion.
So ring up your friends and join the nearest debating tournament. Be
part of a legacy. Join the Malaysian Debaters Facebook group for
future tournaments. Sign up at the National Debate Excellence Centre (NDEC).
Need help to run a tournament? MIDP will be there to help.
If you are part of an institution, join the National Debating Championships,
endorsed by the Sports & Youth Ministry. With that, hope to see you at the
other side of the bench.
Originally written for GreaterMalaysia.com
