Kissing gets students hot and flustered
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Debate on the morality of teen flick Buruan Cium Gue! (Kiss me quick!), which led to its withdrawal from cinemas last year, became heated again at the midway point of the preliminary round of the Indonesian Varsity English Debate competition on Sunday.
"Banning the movie, which had already passed the government's censorship board whose members are community and religious leaders, means that the government can capriciously change regulations based on public pressure," argued Theresia Oktaviani Dading, the team captain of the University of Indonesia (UI).
"The ban sets a bad precedent."
Contender from the Institute of Statistics (STIS), captain Sayu Made Widiari, argued that allowing the film to continue its run would cause "moral degradation".
Teammate Eko Rahmadian, 20, used news articles and photos on how young people prepared for Valentine's Day -- the time when people declare their love to the object of their affections -- as evidence of the disintegration of values among today's youth.
The only male in the UI team, Harris Fauzan, rebutted the argument by sharing his own life-story. "I've watched hundreds of movies with kissing scenes ... I've never been kissed till now."
His teammates gave him warm hugs, while a collective sigh of sympathy was heard from the floor.
The UI team won, although only by a narrow margin, maintaining its current rank as number one team and the favorite for the title on Wednesday.
The newly formed STIS team, which saw their rank drop from second to fifth, took their first defeat in stride.
"The other team deserved to win," said Lia Amelia, 20, a member of the STIS team. "We are learning each time and can only improve."
The two teams are among 58 debate teams from 37 universities across the country competing in this year's event, the eighth of its kind, which is currently being hosted by Bina Nusantara University in West Jakarta.
The annual event, which aims to increase English proficiency and promote critical thinking, was initiated in 1998 by the University of Indonesia.
During the preliminary rounds, each team participates in seven debates to determine their rank. The sudden death round, which will see the top 16 teams compete, will start on Tuesday.
Debate topics include policies for Aceh reconstruction, mandatory military service, carbon-dioxide emissions, to stem- cell research.
Teams are then judged by a panel of three adjudicators, who grade each individual on their arguments, how they deliver them, plus presentation skills, which includes their style of public speaking, the words used, intonation, body language, sincerity of the argument, and humor.
The other member of UI team, Adisti Ikayanti, 19, believes that there is much to learn by participating in the debating competition. "I love the challenge ... I can gain many friends from other universities across the country, we are a tight-knit community." (002)