Debat Diraja 2008

Oleh: MUHD AZMI TALIB
Koresponden AKADEMI DEBAT

Menyingkap usia pertandingan debat 2008 yang akan berlangsung bermula 28 hb November ini nanti maka genaplah usia 13 tahun acara pertandingan debat BM antara IPTA yang paling berprestij di negara ini. Sedar atau tidak walaupun sudah 13 tahun usia pertandingan ini yang berubah hanyalah dari segi bilangan penyertaannya tetapi tidak pada kualitinya. Malah tidak keterlaluan untuk dilabelkan bahawa kualiti debat mahasiswa-mahasiswi sekarang agak jauh jika ingin dibandingkan dengan apa yang telah dipertontonkan oleh abang-abang dan kakak-kakak mereka sebelum ini. Persoalan yang menjadi isu hangat setiap kali pertandingan debat Piala DiRaja diadakan saban tahun.

Sudah banyak artikel yang ditulis berkenaan perkara ini dan yang pasti perubahan masih gagal dilihat dari kaca mata peminat debat seantero negara. Semua perkara telah dikupas sama ada isu pengetahuan pendebat yang nampaknya tidak berkembang malah semakin cetek, keupayaan untuk mengolah , membawa atau membangkang sesuatu usul yang diberikan semakin goyah dan tidak menunjukkan kematangan mereka untuk berhujah, tidak kira sama ada atas kapasiti kerajaan mahupun pembangkang. Jadi dimanakah silapnya??

Artikel ini tidak akan mengulangi kupasan perkara-perkara yang dinyatakan diatas kerana itu sudah barang pasti akan membuang masa penulis mahupun pembaca. Sebaliknya penulis melihat bahawa terdapat faktor lain yang perlu diambil kira untuk memperbaiki mutu perdebatan didalam pertandingan debat Piala Diraja tahun ini.


MINAT

Pertama, MINAT terhadap debat...rata-rata jika ditanya kepada jagoaan IPTA yang terpilih mewakili universiti.... mereka akan menyatakan dengan bangganya bahawa mereka berdebat kerana mereka minat pada debat. Tetapi tidak ramai yang benar-benar memahami apa itu MINAT kepada Debat. Debat bukanlah medan untuk menunjukkan kepetahan mahasiswa menyusun kata-kata dan lakonan berskrip semata-mata. Debat juga bukanlah satu seni untuk menunjukkan kehebatan seni tarian dan lenggok badan kekiri dan kekanan serta memek muka yang penuh penghayatan untuk mendapat anugerah pelakon terbaik. MINAT terhadap debat menuntut mahasiswa untuk terus mempelajari dan mendalami seninya yang tersendiri. Seni yang tidak hanya diukur ketika diatas pentas semata, tidak juga diukur ketika perbincangan sebelum memasuki dewan pertandingan.Ianya merangkumi pelbagai aspek bermula daripada MINAT kepada ilmu pengetahuan yang merangkumi pelbagai aspek dan skop, MINAT untuk berfikir secara kritis dan analitik keatas semua isu di sekeliling tidak kira isu sejarah hinggalah isu semasa terkini, MINAT untuk menambahkan perbendaharaan kata dan mencantikkan bahasa ketika berhujah dan bukan sekadar mencedok pantun-pantin dan syair gurindam serangkap dua ketika berhujah demi meyakinkan penonton dan para hakim dan MINAT untuk melihat bahawa segala hujah mereka tidak akan dapat disangkal lagi kerana telah dikemukakan dengan segala fakta dan contoh yang tepat dan konklusif sehingga membuatkan pihak lawan dan mungkin seluruh dewan terdiam dan membenarkan apa sahaja yang dihujahkan.

DISIPLIN

Kedua, DISIPLIN...apa sahaja yang kita lakukan dalam hidup ini memerlukan disiplin hatta untuk makan, minum, tidur sekalipun. Begitulah jua halnya dengan debat, menceburi bidang debat memerlukan DISIPLIN yang amat tinggi. DISIPLIN ketika sesi latihan, DISIPLIN untuk menerima teguran dan melakukan apa sahaja yang dituntut oleh para jurulatih demi kebaikan pendebat (selagi mana tidak ditegah oleh syara' dan batas tatasusila kemanusiaan ..)DISIPLIN ketika pertandingan hinggalah DISIPLIN setelah bergelar pendebat ulung.

DISIPLIN juga perlu dilihat daripada aspek pemilihan pasukan, jurulatih atau sesiapa sahaja yang diamanahkan untuk memilih pasukan universiti mereka haruslah memilih berdasarkan merit pendebat dan bukannya sekadar rupa paras ataupun faktor kroni dan sebagainya kerana yang akan dipertaruhkan adalah nama baik universiti yang akan diadili oleh penonton dan peminat debat selruh negara.

KESUNGGUHAN

Hasil daripada MINAT + DISIPLIN ini maka wujudnya KESUNGGUHAN. Kita boleh melihat betapa bersungguhnya pendebat-pendebat lagenda dahulu dan sekarang terutama ketika mereka mengemukakan hujah mereka. Mereka tidak mudah berpuas hati dengan apa yang diutarakan bermula daripada saat pertama loceng dibunyikan hinggalah saat terakhir masa yang telah dibenarkan. Perbezaan yang ketara jika kita melihat pendebat-pendebat yang tidak mempunyai KESUNGGUHAN ini berdebat. Mereka akan mudah berpuas hati dengan pencapaian mereka, malah ada ynag berdebat hanya sekadar melepaskan batuk ditangga. Apabila tamat giliran mereka, mereka hanya akan duduk diam dan tersenyum sumbing, ada yang sibuk bergaya untuk gambar dalam majalah universiti mereka, tidak kurang yang terdiam kerana terpegun dengan pihak lawan. Akibatnya,apabila KESUNGGUHAN sudah tiada, debat itu akan menjadi satu pertunjukan sarkis ibarat melihat burung kakak tua bercakap semata-mata...itu bukanlah DEBAT!! Harus di ingat, kita mahu melihat bagaimana sesuatu usul itu diperdebatkan dan bukannnya melihat kalian bertutur bak penglipur lara di atas pentas. Pendebat adalah dipilih untuk memperdebatkan sesuatu usul dan mereka membawa panji universiti masing-masing . Penonton mahu melihat univesiti mana yang mampu menunjukkan kematangan berhujah atas sesuatu usul dan bukannya untuk melihat mereka berkokok dan berjoget semata-mata.


Oleh yang demikian , tidak timbul soal pasukan universiti mana yang menjadi pasukan pilihan kerana kalian adalah sama, semuanya adalah mahasiswa universiti maka tunjukkanlah bahawa kalian layak untuk mewakili universiti masing-masing.Percayalah bahawa tanpa MINAT, DISIPLIN dan KESUNGGUHAN ini, adalah lebih baik kalian menarik diri dan tidak membuang masa dan wang ringgit universiti masing-masing untuk sekadar hadir memenuhi kuota peserta di dalam pertandingan debat Piala Di Raja 2008 ini...Apa gunanya kalian menyertai debat kalau sekadar akan memalukan diri sendiri dan universiti masing-masing. Hanya yang betul-betul layak bergelar PENDEBAT sahaja yang layak untuk menyertai pertandingan ini....


Akhir kata, ingatlah bahwa PENDEBAT sebenar akan dikagumi bermula daripada perkataan pertama hinggalah perkataan terakhir yang diucapkan mereka...ukurlah siapa diri anda...SEMOGA BERJAYA UNTUK SEMUA.

December is coming...a dawn of another year

December is on its way soon..the time of year where everyone are looking back through the whole year of what has happened to their life for the pass eleven months. The realization of their new year resolution(s)to a certain point whether they have achieve or failed them or is there any possibility to conclude them within the next 30 days to come.

Talking about resolution, i wonder what was mine...hmm..., since i can't recall it,it is obviously unachievable or to put it in easy words..guess i failed it again liek for the past years behind.Or perhaps i don't want to recall it because i know i achieve nothing so to speak.It gives me lesser disappointment.

BUT i know some people have achieve theirs but not me. The world is facing mass economical failure this year and not to forget all the political changes through out the world including Malaysia.And i guess directly or indirectly i was affected because i am in the system as well.Still remember about the past General Election, the fuel hikes, the up and down in our judicial system and etc...


Well, i changed my job, i sent my family elsewhere and have to travel 6 hours every weekend just to be with them and i'm about to change my ride sooner..and not to forget of my own perceptions towards life and faith.It was a hard year but meaningful in the other way of seeing it but still i am the same person..a person without plan...guess that should be my next year's resolution...to have a PLAN.


I wish this coming December will give me as Ordinary person to rethink and re evaluate my achievement ( which is very doubtful..)and my life. So i would have a better and perhaps the best practical resolution for 2009...

BARRACK OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL VICTORY SPEECH

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation's next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington - it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.



It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends...though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.








ORDINARYMAN comments:

In this world , ordinary people can sometimes make EXTRA ordinary changes...IF THERE"S A WILL, THERE ALWAYS A WAY !!!...CONGRATULATIONS Mr.OBAMA...ARIOS Mr. Bush....

'Facebook 'saga

I just been introduced to this new phenomenon few weeks ago..its a tempting site though,with all its interactive features.

Things getting more interesting when i can keep back in touch with many of my old friends and contacts. I become more and more attach to it until its hard not to get into FB (thats wat we call it)every day.

So wat is this FB anyway, some research been made and i found out that its a social networking site established by a former Harvard student,Mark Zuckerbeg whilst he was in Harvard University and was firstly meant to gather only for Harvard students.Facebook was officially launched in February 2, 2004 and since spread worldwide like an epidemic .The website overtook Myspace in terms of its memberships of 132.1 millions people compared to 117.6m in June 2008. And that happens after millions of dollars invested, coming in from all sorts of sources including Paypal, Apple, Yahoo, Hongkong biz tycoon and many more.These investments are due to the profitability those investors will get in return.

The thing is, is it really this FB is trespassing the concept of personal privacy where people can now access other's info without any hassle.Just imagine how precious are these simple data mining to the big shots like Yahoo and Google for them to sell our data to their wealthy clients. We are talking about billions of dollars and marketing prospects.


Now like them, i think even as layman like me, we can take advantage of this outbreak and expend our connection.But, many can agree with me believe it or not it effects our productivity especially during working hours...dont tell me there is a single person who never get into FB during his/her office hour.Just look at your notification and status updating.

One piece of advise is that, just be careful of what we disclose in FB, it is not impossible that one day, all the email scams will evolve into FB as well.and this time we cannot spam our FB friends ..right?. And that is nothing....compared to some ingenius hackers who will spreding their latest viruses into FB, it will definitely affect millions of people, including me of course.

well, to know more about this current madness, a single click to wikipedia will tell u all about whatever u want to know about FB.

For me, its a cyber drug.once u involved, u remain involved, and for some others addicted..its a one way commitment..its only a matter of our precaution steps. We all dont want others making money of our on personal life and informations.

One thing for sure, later, there will be a rehabilitation centre for all FB victims in near future.I might be one of its first batch. That will be another way for Mr. Mark to make more money...


HAPPY Facebooking to all but just becareful!!