[GENERAL KNOWLEDGE] DEBATING FORMAT
● Technically, Asian Parliamentary requires two teams appearing as:
+ a positive/ proposition/ government team
+ a negative/ opposition team
and each side is composed of 3 members to provide reasons for and against a
given motion.
● The preparation time for each team is 10 minutes (in real debates).
A. Time of speeches
- The amount of time for each speaker varies from round 1 to round 3:
+ In round 1: each candidate is allocated 3 minutes to deliver their
speeches.
+ In round 2,3: 4 minutes are given to each speaker to show their opinions.
+ At the end of the 3 main speeches, each team then delivers a “reply”
speech of 2 minutes in length. This is delivered by either the first or
second speaker on their team, not the one who is in charge of the last
main round.
B. Government team:
● The first speaker or Prime Minister (A1):
○ Define context and parameters of debate.
○ Provide concise background or history leading to the issue.
○ Introduce 1st argument.
● The second speaker or Deputy Prime Minister (A2):
○ Rebut the first argument from N1.
○ Rebut rebuttals to A1's argument.
○ Introduce 2nd and 3rd arguments.
○ Reassert Government stand and case.
● The third speaker or Government Whip (A3):
○ Provide a deeper level of analysis for previous arguments and
rebuttals.
○ No new arguments, but new angles of arguments should be given.
○ Brief summary of an entire case of Government.
○ Reassert Government stand and case.
C. Opposition team:
● The first speaker or Leader of Opposition (N1):
○ Agree or disagree with context/ parameters of debate (any
definitional challenges, accusations of squirreling, or unfair setup
should be made from the N1’s speech and no later).
○ Rebut A1's argument.
○ Give framework for Opposition case (if Opp. agrees to a problem,
then their case should provide the solution, or at least effectively
highlight how Government proposal will worsen the situation).
○ Introduce First Opposition argument.
○ Assert Opposition stand.
● The second speaker or Deputy Leader of Opposition (N2):
○ Rebut A2 and A1’s arguments.
○ Rebut rebuttals to N1’s arguments.
○ Introduce 1st and 2nd (if any) argument.
○ Reassert Opposition stand and case.
● The third speaker or Opposition Whip (N3):
○ Provide a deeper level of analysis for previous arguments and
rebuttals.
○ No new arguments, but new angles of arguments should be given.
○ Reassert Opposition stand and case.
D. Reply speech (RS):
● Can only be done by either 1st or 2nd speaker from each bench.
● Provide a biased 'oral adjudication' of why the debate should go to own
bench.
● Highlight issues you think your side won, carefully tip-toe around issues
you think you lost.
● New examples to expand on discussed examples are usually allowed and
make the reply speech sound fresh as opposed to verbal regurgitation.
● Reassert stand.
E. Order:
A1→N1→A2→N2→A3→N3→Opposition response→Government response
● During the constructive speeches, Point of Information (POI) may be
raised by the opposing side after the first minute up to the fourth minute
in rounds 2 & 3 within a maximum of 1 minute.
● A POI is a short interjection in the form of a question, statement, etc to
the person currently delivering their main speech.
● POI may be refused or accepted by the speaker.
● During reply speeches, NO POI can be raised.
