An Introduction to Debate

An Introduction to Asian Parliamentary Debate

In Asian Parliamentary Style, there are 2 teams. They are Government and Opposition. Each team has 3 members and each team gives 4 speeches. The format is a limited preparation format, meaning that the topic is announced, depending on the tournament, roughly 30 minutes before the debate.

The 3 members of the Government should defend the motion. The 3 members of the team, each of which gives a 7 minutes speech, are:

1.      Prime Minister

2.      Deputy Prime Minister

3.      Government Whip

One speaker from the Government team - either the Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister - is charged with giving a 4 minutes reply speech that clarifies the debate from the Government perspective without bringing forth new arguments.

The 3 members of the Opposition team should negate the motion and refute arguments brought forth by the Government. The 3 members of the team, each of which gives a 7 minutes speech, are:

1.      Leader of Opposition

2.      Deputy Leader of Opposition

3.      Opposition Whip

Like the Government team, one speaker from the Opposition team - either the Leader of Opposition or Deputy Leader of Opposition - is charged with giving a 4 minute reply speech that clarifies the debate from the Opposition perspective without bringing forth new arguments.

In the 7 minute speeches, the opposing team can stand up and ask for Points of Information (POI) after the first minute and until the sixth minute. A POI should be a brief question or comment and not a long-winded monologue or back and forth cross examination session.

This is what the debate looks like:

Times and Order of Asian Parliamentary Debate Speeches

1.      Prime Minister - 7 minutes

2.      Leader of Opposition - 7 minutes

3.      Deputy Prime Minister - 7 minutes

4.      Deputy Leader of Opposition - 7 minutes

5.      Government Whip - 7 minutes

6.      Opposition Whip - 7 minutes

7.      Opposition Reply Speech - 4 minutes

8.      Government Reply Speech - 4 minutes

Speaker Roles in Asian Parliamentary Debate

Government: Prime Minister (PM)

1.      Define context and parameters of debate. For example, in an open motion like "This House Would Support Musicians", the debate could be contextualized into whether music should be a commodity for trade, or it should be available gratis (i.e. free music download and transfer)

2.      Provide concise background or history leading to the issue

3.      Give framework of government bench's case. I.e. mechanisms (if any), argumentation flow (what the government's first argument is and what the Deputy Prime Minister will talk about)

4.      Introduce 1st argument

5.      Assert Government stand

Government: Deputy Prime Minister (DPM)

1.      Rebut first argument from Leader of Opposition

2.      Rebut rebuttals to PM's argument

3.      Introduce 2nd and 3rd argument

4.      Reassert Government stand and case

Government: Government Whip

1.      Rebut Deputy Leader of Opposition, and Leader of Opposition

2.      Rebut rebuttals to DPM and PM arguments

3.      Provide a deeper level of analysis for previous arguments and rebuttals

4.      No new arguments, but new angles of arguments should be given

5.      Brief summary of entire case of Government

6.      Reassert Government stand and case

Opposition: Leader of Opposition

1.      Agree or disagree with context/ parameters of debate (any definitional challenges, accusations of squirreling, or unfair set up should be made from the LO speech and no later)

2.      Rebut Prime Minister's argument

3.      Give framework for Opposition case (if Opp agrees to problem, then their case should provide solution, or at least effectively highlight how Government proposal will worsen the situation)

4.      Introduce first Opposition argument

5.      Assert Opposition stand

Opposition: Deputy Leader of Opposition

1.      Rebut DPM and PM arguments

2.      Rebut rebuttals to LO arguments

3.      Introduce 1st and 2nd (if any) argument

4.      Reassert Opposition stand and case

Opposition: Opposition Whip

1.      Rebut DPM and PM arguments

2.      Rebut rebuttals to LO & DLO arguments

3.      Provide a deeper level of analysis for previous arguments and rebuttals

4.      No new arguments, but new angles of arguments should be given

5.      Reassert Opposition stand and case

Reply Speech:

1.      Can only be done by either 1^st  or 2^nd  speaker from each bench

2.      Provide a biased 'oral adjudication' of why the debate should go to own bench

3.      Highlight issues you think your side won, carefully tiptoe around issues you think you lost

4.      New examples to expand on discussed examples is usually allowed and makes the reply speech sound fresh as opposed to verbal regurgitation

5.      Reassert stand

6.      Most importantly, try to have fun while you're doing all this. ;)

Strategies & Tips for Limited Preparation Debating

1.      Read Widely

Even just skimming a few international news websites, like BBC news, Al Jazeera or The New York Times will help keep you abreast of international issues. If you have a computer, set one of these sites as your homepage so that global issues "sink in" each time you open your browser. A great weekly read for sheer breadth is the The Economist.

2.      Research Timely Issues

If there is an issue that is dominating the news and you have a debate tournament coming up, you can be sure that there will be a motion on that topic. Split tasks with your partners and teammates and create briefs on these issues before the tournament so that everyone can be up to speed. Keep these briefs throughout the year so that you can update them as events change.

3.      Research Key Countries and Organizations

Some countries are global players and will enter nearly any international debate in which you find yourself. Being even passingly familiar with the political structures and current situations of these countries - or groups of countries - can help you win debates. Some good places to start are: China, the US, Russia, the EU and Japan. International organizations, especially the UN, feature prominently in many debates as well. Knowing the decision-making machinery of these organizations, their jurisdiction and their activities will help you immensely. In addition to the UN, you may want to look into NATO, ASEAN, the WTO and the G8.

4.      Use IDEA's Free Resources

Debatepedia (the wiki you are on right now) is a free resource open to anyone with internet access. It is a great place to get a sense of an issue and begin constructing arguments. You may want to dig deeper into important events and controversies, but with thousands of articles, Debatepedia is a good place to start.