Debating: A true Indonesian pastime?<\/p>\n
By Ruli Manurung<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE (JP): A debate is a clash of concepts, a war of
\nwords or an intellectual equivalent of boxing. In a debate, two
\nor more parties argue to champion their own case, while
\ndisproving the ideas of others. We all know that. But do we see
\nit often in Indonesian society?<\/p>\n
Some skeptics say that debating is not for Indonesians. From
\nprimary school on, students learn that holding a contrasting
\nopinion is not encouraged. They are taught to converge towards a
\nsingle point and reach a consensus. This is perhaps rooted in
\nthe long history of feudalism, hardly a fertile ground for
\ndebating.<\/p>\n
At a debating competition, a legion of knowledgeable and
\neloquent orators are all geared up to out-talk each other with
\nstructured, formal and rigid methods of discourse. Such
\ncompetition promotes public speaking skills, critical thinking,
\nstructured presentation of ideas and eloquence in the use of the
\nlanguage, in this case, English.<\/p>\n
Competitive debating among Indonesian universities dates back
\nto 1994, when the Jakarta Varsities English Debates (JVED) was
\norganized by students of the School of Economics of the
\nUniversity of Indonesia (UI). Similar events followed but none
\nbore similarity to how proper competitive debates are conducted.
\nDuring all of them, the participants were grasping at straws,
\ntrying to speak better English than other debaters while
\nsimultaneously displaying a bit of logic, the real essence of
\ndebating.<\/p>\n
Indonesia was far behind the Philippines, Singapore and
\nMalaysia. Teams from these countries had begun to make their
\nreputations at the World Debating Championship.<\/p>\n
During the 4th Asian Inter-Varsity Debating Championships here
\nin May, Indonesian institutions made their formal debut on an
\ninternational stage. A team from UI (Achmad Nurhoeri, Patsy
\nWidakuswara and Permata Harahap) and one from Parahyangan
\nCatholic University (Oktarinaldi, Billy and Indra) found
\nthemselves in tough competition among 46 teams from 24 Asian
\nuniversities.<\/p>\n
How did the Indonesian teams fare? Lawyer Lim Lei Theng from
\nthe National University of Singapore spotted potential. \"As a new
\nteam, UI debaters were good and performed well. All they need is
\na bit more practice and experience,\" she said. She also spelt out
\nindividual praise for UI's Patsy Widakuswara, who took the second
\nBest Speaker award.<\/p>\n
Adjudicator Anna Alfaro from the University of Philippines-
\nDiliman remarked that Indonesians have now begun to be
\nacknowledged. \"The Indonesian teams are beginning to earn respect
\nfor their analysis,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Besides Patsy's award, UI earned the second Best New Team
\nposition, even though it only ranked 31st overall. They did it by
\nwinning three of the seven debates in the preliminary round.<\/p>\n
The Parahyangan Catholic University team did not fare as well.
\nThey won two of the seven rounds and ranked 44th. Both teams did
\nnot make the cut for the elimination round of the top 16 teams
\nfrom the preliminaries.<\/p>\n
Valens Riyadi from Parahyangan University said they were
\nunfamiliar with the rules of the game. \"This way of debating is
\nstill a very new and unknown experience for us. But it is very
\ninteresting\".<\/p>\n
Predictions for the future are better. \"In five years, with
\nconstant exposure to international championships, the Indonesian
\nteams should be a potent force,\" Lim said. \"Some Indonesians I
\nknow actually pick up debating pretty easily.\"<\/p>\n
Alfaro said that Indonesian teams could develop a particular
\nstyle of debating. \"The Indonesian teams may capitalize on their
\ndemeanor which is actually pleasant, almost non-confrontational.
\nGiven the right contrast, this can translate to coolheadedness
\nand can be used to create the impression of composure.\"<\/p>\n
We have come full circle -- is debate a natural part of
\nIndonesian culture? If it isn't, is it pointless in trying to
\ndevelop the activity? Whatever the case, the road has been paved.
\nIf there is any disagreement, let's have a debate!<\/p>",
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