Global Perspectives Debates

The bi-annual Global Perspectives Debates 2/2015 held at Tenby Schools Ipoh from Friday, September 18 to Saturday, September 19 brought together more than 200 young debaters from a number of schools in  Perak.

Incepted in 2010, it was sponsored by Tenby Schools Ipoh with the Tenby Sixth Form serving as the event management team. The primary aim of the debate is to promote a greater awareness of global issues which are of concern to humanity.

Twenty-four debating teams from participating schools were arrayed against each other in a four-cornered verbal duel culminating in the final in which the topic, “Refugees Should Be Repatriated” was debated.

“This makes a huge difference to the quality of debating,” commented Louis Rozario Doss, Head of the Tenby Sixth Form and Senior Advisor to the Sixth Form Council. “The verbal crossfire in the four-cornered debates is the apotheosis of the debating tradition in the state of Perak. The audience engagement is far greater in this type of debate than in the conventional two-cornered debates,” he added.

Overall best speaker, Danesh Ram Aggarwal of SMK Methodist (ACS), Kampar had this to say, “I’ve participated in the GP debates since 2014. They’re truly unique in the sense that teams are not knocked out in the first round and have to go home after one debate as happens in other competitions.

Under the Tenby GP debates, each team has the assurance of debating at least four times over the two-day period. This is one of the best arrangements, especially for teams which come here not just to be champions but also to learn the art of debating.”

Prominent Ipoh lawyer and Rotarian, Arthur Yeong served as Chief Adjudicator while fellow barristers Shan Thevin and Dato‘ Hajjah Shamsuriah binti Sulaiman were the co-judges.

Ed