She emphasised on the importance of a speaker ’s ability to be able to critically analyse the motion before them and develop their argument and strategy coherently before presenting their case and opening themselves to attack from the opposition.
“Debating, however, goes beyond merely standing up and airing your views. It involves extensive research and preparation. To be a debater, you have to be keen in reading, research habit, have an interest in the field, a good grasp of general knowledge and current affairs, be competent in the English Language and of course, you must have the ability to think on your feet fast!” said Jagjeet,, debate trainer and head of the panel of adjudicators at the recent debates.
Debaters auditioning at the recent debate aired their views on the motion that “this house will enforce a two-year national service ” before subjecting themselves to a second debate which was on the motion “this house believes that free trade is the way to go ”. The second debate was impromptu in that all speakers were only given only an hour to prepare with only the aid of a dictionary, an almanac and a single volume encyclopedia without the aid of modern gadgets and gizmos like mobile phones,3G technology and laptops.
After two rounds of intense debates the judges faced the onerous task of selecting 12 potential candidates for further training and debate practice, which will commence next month.
It is from these 12 that the five-member Malaysian squad will be selected.

Those short-listed were Lee Zhi Wei, Wong Yoon Loong, Farquar Haqqani, Hitakshi Ashvani Kumar, Ang Jian Wei, Ngai Jin Tik, Shamala Devi Rajalingam, Bukhari Yusof, Sanjiv Nair Saidharan, Lee Jia Hui, John Lee and Mishyan Kumar Supramaniam.

“This debating experience will be an invaluable one for our debaters, being part of this prestigious international competition in Seoul. The skill of debating is certainly an advantage as this will give debaters an extra edge when applying to Ivy League and other prestigious universities,” said Tunku Dara Tunku Tan Sri Naquiah, the English Speaking Union of Malaysia chairman who was also in attendance at the debates.
The Star ’s support of this project echoes the government ’s aims in creating a future generation that is adept at soft skills and not only a generation that is academically inclined.
“A person with the ability to express themselves coherently and eloquently will stand head and shoulders above the rest in the corporate world and this is part of the reason that debating, public speaking is of vital importance to students today. This will give them an edge when they too join the rat race” said Star Publications Bhd Marketing Services senior manager Iris Tan.
The Malaysian leg of the World Schools Debating Championships is jointly organised and sponsored by the English Speaking Union of Malaysia and The Star.
The World Schools Debating Championship, which has been held annually since the early 1990s,has proven to be a forum for students from all over the world to exchange ideas and air their views.
It also provides a golden opportunity for youngsters from around the world to share their outlook on the world and as youth ambassadors, to foster friendships and understand each other’s cultures and backgrounds.