Kuala Lumpur, 6-8 May 2016 – The HEP-IPTS Debate 2016, organised by International Medical University (IMU) in collaboration with the Majlis HEP-IPTS, came to a conclusion last weekend following an intensive three-day battle of wits between 30 debate teams from local private universities across Malaysia. 
Supported by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), the tournament saw Taylor’s University and HELP University going head-to-head in a highly-charged and stimulating Grand Finals, in which the former ultimately emerged champion, supporting the motion “Communities should have Exclusive Ownership over their Own Cultures”.
The Asian parliamentary-style debate tournament was formulated to provide an avenue for discussion as well as to create awareness among Malaysian graduates regarding various socioeconomic issues in the region. It also served as a platform to enhance ties between the participating private universities.
“Debates are a great way for students to gain greater understanding, awareness and explore in-depth a broad spectrum of current issues. It encourages greater discussion, examination and critical thinking among our students and graduates – qualities that will groom them into effective future thinkers and leaders of our society,” said YBhg Datuk Prof Dr Roziah binti Omar, Deputy Director General (IPTS), MOHE, who was present at the Awards Presentation Ceremony.
“From what I have heard and seen, this tournament has already produced some bright young sparks in the debating arena, and my hope is that the tournament will serve as a springboard for our young debaters to make their mark internationally,” added Datuk Prof Dr Roziah. Organised by the IMU Debate Club since the last HEP-IPTS debate in year 2012, the tournament exposed students from Malaysian private universities to various debating skills and expertise, with the aim of raising the standard and quality of debating in the country, ultimately developing Malaysia into a prestigious debating hub. “Recognising the importance of extra-curricular activities (ECA) in providing a platform to further develop soft-skills, creativity and sportsmanship, IMU’s Student Services Hub plays a vital role in encouraging and supporting our students’ achievements in non-academic areas. One such activity is the HEP-IPTS Debate that we have witnessed today,” said Prof Abdul Aziz Baba, Vice Chancellor of IMU, in his welcome speech. “As future health professionals, it’s important for our students to develop communication skills, advocate patient care and see other perspectives not only regarding healthcare delivery but also other socio-economic issues that affect our communities. For this, IMU will continue to support the initiatives of our debate club,” he added. 
The winning team was awarded with a cash prize of RM6000, a challenge trophy, individual trophies for its members, and book vouchers worth RM600. Meanwhile, the runners-up took home a cash prize of RM4500, individual trophies and book vouchers worth RM600. Sameer Singh Dhillon from Taylor’s University was the Grand Finals’ Best Speaker who walked away with RM500 in cash, a trophy and book vouchers worth RM300. The 10 best speakers throughout the tournament were also awarded with trophies and RM150 worth of book vouchers each in which Behrad Taadoli from Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) emerged as the Overall Best Speaker.
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Champions
| Name | University | Comments on the event |
| Felice Wong Jing-Yi | Taylor’s University | I think the tournament was very well run and very welcoming! It was really fulfilling to debate such interesting motions with teammates that I was very confident of. |
| Sameer Singh Dhillon | Taylor’s University | Highly competitive tournament that was facilitated by a responsible organising committee at a world class venue. Winning the championship only made this competition a lot more memorable. |
| Hazman Azinbin Mokhtar | Taylor’s University | Enlightening and Competitive. Good teammates made a good tournament into an extraordinary one. Motions were stimulating. |
Runners-Up
| Name | University | |
| Arachnaa Suntharalingam | HELP University | |
| Sri Kanda Raj | HELP University | |
| Naavish Nair | HELP University |
Finalist Best Speaker
| Name | University | |
| Sameer Singh Dhillon | Taylor’s University |
Overall Best Speaker
| Name | University | |
| Behrad Taadoli | Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation |
Top 10 Speakers
| Rank | Name | University |
| 2 | Sameer Singh Dhillon | Taylor’s University |
| 2 | Felice Wong Jing-Yi | Taylor’s University |
| 4 | Moustafa Elbadwihi | Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation |
| 5 | Eric Chidiebere Onuoha | Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation |
| 5 | Hazman Azinbin Mokhtar | Taylor’s University |
| 7 | Archanaa Suntharalingam | HELP University |
| 7 | Don Claudine Pereira | KDU University – College |
| 9 | Abubakar Sadiq Ayinde | Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation |
| 10 | Nigel Amritch Dhusanj | KDU University – College |
| 10 | Mus’ab Alaqeede | Multimedia University |
Comments from the IMU Team and Organising Committee
| Kowthar Hussein Ali | IMU Debate Club President | Organising this debate has been a truly enriching yet extremely challenging experience. It was a team effort with everyone in the team contributing to all aspects of organising this three-day debate. Teamwork was absolutely crucial. We put our all into this and had a sleepless weekend but I believe it was worth it. I couldn’t have hoped for a better group of people to work with or host.As part of organinsing this debate, I had to even call the caterers and communicate to them although I couldn’t speak Bahasa Melayu but in the end it all worked out well which I am extremely happy about. From this, I have definitely learnt time management in relation to planning a debate tournament while carrying on with the demands of my studies simultaneously. This is something which I hope to apply for the next tournament we host. I also hope to participate in next year’s debate as it is the love for debating that got me started into this scene to begin with. |
| Sruthi Rangu | IMU Debator | It was a wonderful experience where we were forced to open up our minds and think in various perspectives. I personally enjoyed the entire tournament, as I was able to make new friends from different universities around Malaysia and widen my horizons when it came to making new social connections.It took us with great surprise when our team was mentioned in the list of teams that reached the quarter finals. We had never anticipated this outcome as we were just planning to have fun and interact with new people. This tournament was the first time I qualified in the quarter finals |
| Zeneera Yusuf | IMU Debator | When I signed up for HEP-IPTS I never thought our team would make it to quarter finals, let alone, rank 8th out of 26 teams. This experience was definitely one of the most monumental events for me and my team mates. I felt that HEP-IPTS was more organized and fulfilling for two reasons. Firstly the adjunctors were much better at giving extensive and constructive feedback. Secondly, the motions were much more balanced to both sides; opposition and government. Hence, they provided for a much more interesting, well-rounded and fair debate.My participation in the IMU debate club will stay on with me throughout the years to come. Without any prior debate experience and having trained only 2 months for this competition, I am extremely pleased that we made it to quarter finals in a fairly competitive debate tournament. |
