Asian Parliamentary Debate

Summary of Roles:

Government Opposition
Prime Minister (PM) Leader of Opposition (LO)
- Define the motion and Set-up the - Respond to Definition
parameters/ scope of the Debate - Present Position & Case
- Present Position & Case - Rebut Government Case
- Make 1 or 2 Arguments - Make 1 or 2 Arguments
Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Deputy Leader of Opposition (DLO)
- Defend Your Case - Defend Your Case
- Attack LOs Case - Attack DPM and PMs Case
- Make new Arguments - Make new Arguments
Government Whip (GW) Opposition Whip (OW)
- Briefly Summarize Your Teams Case - Briefly Summarize Your Teams Case
- Summarize and Prioritize the main issues in - Summarize and Prioritize the main issues in
the debate the debate
- Rebut and Analyze main issues - Compare and show why your team is better
- Compare and show why your team is better

Guidelines:

Each speaker is allowed to speak for 3 minutes only.

*TIP: If you think your speech is too short, you may include some examples and facts or accept
points of information.
The order of speaking is PM > LO > DPM > DLO > GW > OW.
The Government team should support the motion, while the Opposition team opposes it.
After the 1st minute of the speech, each speaker may accept any Points of Information (POI)
from the opposing team. In raising POIs, take note of the following:

oThe team that is not speaking can offer as many POIs as they want. To offer a POI, they
should stand up, raise an arm and if they want, say something short like "point of
information" or point. They cannot start presenting their POI until the person speaking
gives them permission to speak. They should not be rude and try to distract or interrupt
the speaker. The POI must be within 15 seconds and if the speaker asks them to sit down
and end their question, they must.
o The person who is speaking can choose when and from whom to accept a question. If you
are offered a question and you don't want to accept it, just say "no thank you", "not at
this time", "sit down please" and the like.
o A POI can be a question, a comment, an argument, a rebuttal, an example - anything that
you can say in 15 seconds that will help your team win the debate.
o Take note that the time of the speaker would not stop when he/she accepts POIs.
Do not approach the podium until you have been recognized by the adjudicator.
Respect the adjudicator when he/she calls for order.
Do not badger your opponent or use intimidation tactics.
Using of foul words is strictly prohibited.
Criteria for Judging:

Organization and substance of content 40%

o Understandability, clarity, logical reasoning, strong evidence presented
Ability to perform task 20%
o Able to raise new arguments/ rebuttals, define the motion, etc. whichever is applicable
Delivery 20%
o Tone of voice, use of gestures, and the conduct of the debaters
Time 10%
o Able to utilize/ maximize the time allotted.
Impact 10%
o Ability to persuade/ convince audience

NOTE: Each speaker is scored separately but the grade to be recorded is the average score of the
team.