01

What is Debate?
The Asian Parliamentary
format
 We should ban plastic! It causes so
much damage to the environment.
What is a debate?
But we need plastic! Without
it we can’t make anything!
Simply put, a debate is a formal
discussion between two parties. At
the start of each round, a motion
will be given. Team Government
needs to justify the motion whereas
Team Opposition will refute (deny)
the motion.
Asian Parliamentary Format
An Asian Parliamentary debate is 3v3, where the 2
teams are divided into GOV or OPP:

GOV Speaker Roles:

1. Prime Minister
2. Deputy Prime Minister
3. Government Whip
- Reply speaker (Can be speaker 1 or 2)

OPP Speaker Roles:

1. Leader of Opposition
2. Deputy Leader of Opposition
3. Opposition Whip
- Reply speaker (Can be speaker 1 or 2)

Each speech should be 7 minutes. Reply speeches

are up to 4 minutes.
Speaker Order:
Some important terms
Motion
The topic of the debate
Some examples:
➔ THW ban plastic
➔ THBT (This House
Believes That) every
action is morally
justifiable
➔ THR (This House Regrets)
the rise of K-pop
“This House” usually represents
parties with power to enforce
policies e.g. government
POI Rebuttal
In the middle of an Criticizing something the
opposing member’s opposing team said, using
speech, you can stand up logical reasoning/examples.
and offer a statement or
question in the form of a
POI E.g. We cannot ban plastic
because people who work in
Offer POIs between the 1st plastic-heavy industries
& 6th minute and not (manufacturing) would lose
during reply speeches. their source of income.
POIs can only be offered
every 20 seconds and by
different speakers.
Tools used in debate
Different tools are commonly used in debate to strengthen your case and stance.
However, not all debates need to use the same tools.

Definition Clash Stakeholders

What a term means for that Where two points directly Who is most affected/most
debate. contradict each other. valued in the debate.

E.g Youths. Are youths Fulfillment VS Money If you ban plastic, how do
people under 18? 21? 15? you then care for the
citizens/economy?

Status quo Mechanism/Model Comparative

Current state of affairs. How you enforce policies. What your world looks like
compared to the
E.g In status quo, the E.g. We are banning the opposing team’s.
consumption of plastic is future mining of petroleum &
a huge problem. manufacturing of plastic. E.g. Our comparative is
better because we protect
the environment more.
 First Speakers:
Prime Minister
- First speaker of the entire
debate
- Do not need to provide any
rebuals but you can set up a
case where you put opposition
in question
- Set up the entire debate
- Problem - Why does this
debate exist?
- Mechanisms
- Definitions
- Main argument of the team
Leader of Opposition
- Take a strong stance on what your
case aims to provide
- Challenge any definitions provided
by PM that you feel are unfair
- State where your priorities dier
from PM. If they don’t, state how
Gov doesn’t achieve their priorities
more eectively
- Rebut the strongest argument
from PM.
- Give your side’s strongest
argument, elaborated eectively.
 Second Speakers:
DPM / DLO Example of a Rebuttal:
- Defend any definition aacks
- Rebut the strongest arguments from the opposing Side Government wants to
team ban plastic to protect the
- Provide new arguments that lead back to your team’s environment. But that’s not
case & stance realistic. They don’t care
about what happens to
factory workers when
You should not: plastic industries are
- Rehash/recycle your first speaker’s points forced to shut down
- Spend too much time rebuing weak points because they can’t mine for
- Waste time defending a point from your side that is new materials. Their world
causes a huge problem of
already well-defended
unemployment, which they
- Bring up arguments that have lile to do with your provide no solution for.
side’s stance/main case
 Whips:
Government Whip/Opposition Whip

What to do?: ☆ Give a biased summary of the debate

Do’s:
- Provide analysis of the debate (look at it from a third
person’s perspective)
- Dierentiate your team’s case
- Show why you won the debate

Don’ts:
- Present new points (they will not be taken into account)
- Rehash all the points made by previous speakers again
 Whips:
Government Whip/Opposition Whip

How?: “Our burden today is to prove to you why banning plastic

1. Restate the burdens will harm the labor force and industry because side gov is
2. Point out technical blinded by their “I want to save the world” saviorism
errors mindset.
3. Give rebuals to points
given by previous
speaker, haven’t No case set up, lack of engagement, false claims
rebued or strengthen
rebuals Banning plastic bring good vs. banning plastic is bad
4. Identify clashes (weigh “We take this clash because…we win because…which
both sides) side fulfills the principled obligation of a government to
5. Give best-case keep their citizens employed? On our side we enjoy all the
scenario (BCS) and benefits from side gov because we reduce plastic usage
worst-case scenario but we don’t BAN it. We don’t support drastic change
(WCS) because it will bring more harm than good.