Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Speaker Roles in Asian Parliamentary Debate
Speaker Roles in Asian Parliamentary Debate
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Government:
Prime Minister (PM)
Government Whip
[Edit]
Opposition:
Leader of Opposition
Give framework for Opposition case (if Opp agrees to problem, then their
case should provide solution, or at least effectively highlight how
Government proposal will worsen the situation)
Opposition Whip
[Edit]
Reply Speech:
Can only be done by either 1st or 2nd speaker from each bench
Highlight issues you think your side won, carefully tiptoe around issues
you think you lost
Reassert stand
--Most importantly, try to have fun while you're doing all this. ;)
I stick to my opinion.
Let's agree to differ!
(5) When you want to say the "opposite" of what someone else said:
on the contrary! quite the contrary! just the opposite!
That is the very opposite of what I said.
That is quite the contrary to what I said.
I maintain the contrary.
In contrast to what you said, I maintain that...........
(6) When you are "quite sure" of something:
of course!
That goes without saying
It goes without saying that
I contend/maintain that................
It's my conviction that..................
(7) When you want to "ask a question":
May I interrupt you?
There arises the question/point whether/if
This question raises the whole issue
(8) When you "haven't understood":
I beg your pardon. / Pardon?
Could you repeat what you've just said? But slower, please./
Could you slow down a bit?
(9) If you should want to "correct a mistake":
Excuse me (for interrupting) you should have said:"....."
(10)When you want to distinguish one aspect from the other:
on the one hand - on the other hand
in general - in particular
generally speaking
on the whole
taken as a whole
at first sight - on second thoughts
(11)When you want to "add" something:
In addition
Moreover
Furthermore
Finally
(12)When you want to "emphasize" something:
I would like to lay (put) emphasis (stress) on the fact that..
I just want to point out that
Add the following expressions to the given categories I agree with / disagree with
you; I see/understand your point but ; Youve got a point / a case there but; Im
not sure. whether ; I have doubts / reservations about ; I dont see that working
in practice. ; It may work in the short-term / in the long-term. ; I think thats
debatable. ; Prove it! ; Your argument is flawed because... ; Whats that got to do
with the issue? ; Youre missing the point. ; Its ridiculous to suggest that.... ; My
feeling is.. ; If you ask me... ; As for me.... ; Bear in mind that ; Youd better do
... ; Lets face it.... ; In general... ; On the whole... ; As a rule.... ; It goes without
saying that... ; Whats more / in addition / furthermore ; What Im getting at is... /
What Im trying to say is.. / My point is... ; What is your point? What are you
driving at? ; Youre not serious, are you? ;You must be joking! Thats nonsense /
rubbish / ridiculous.
Ten Ethics of Debate
The following are some guidelines I believe are helpful to any debate in which the
participants are seeking truth, rather than trying to defend a position for its own
sake.
1)
would
call
these
guidelines
HAVE
of
Freethought
for
debaters...
EMPATHY
By far, the majority of people, in general, mean well. If you really believe that
they are intentionally being evil - don't waste time in debate with them. However,
if you really think about it, most people, no matter how deranged their position or
how harmful such a position may be to you, hold it because they actually believe
it is the right position to take. It is easy to hate a stranger but try to imagine how
you might respond if a loved one were to take the same position. Hate positions,
beliefs,
policies,
and
actions
2)
but
love
people.
BE
CLEAR
It is possible to argue with someone for an hour before realizing that you actually
agree
but
are
using
different
semantics.
Even
if
you
don't
agree,
better,
believe,
3)
wrong,
STAY
etc.
FOCUSED
Often, as emotions rise, it is easy to turn debate into a vendetta. The purpose of
debate, in the freethought spirit, is not to demoralize your opponent, to make
yourself look or feel good, or to enact revenge for other statements. There is only
one proper purpose for such discussion, and that is to find truth - no matter what
the
consequences
4)
DON'T
or
implications
WASTE
TIME
of
such
IN
conclusions.
COMBAT
Most people are not open-minded and merely want to win the argument. Identify
victory-seekers early. If there's little chance of them listening to anything you
have to say, or if they refuse to listen to obvious reason, then it is best not to waste
your time. If you must converse on such topics, be passive - listen, ask questions,
and
5)
let
them
reach
conclusions
KEEP
on
their
own.
COOL
Often, because they are feeling insecure of their position, threatened by yours, or
simply unaware, people will use wording which you may find insulting. If these
are raw insults by themselves, then it is best to end the conversation. If the insults
are part of the argument itself, there are a few things to keep in mind. For one, he
or she may not realize how offensive the remarks are to you. Secondly, this may
only be an exaggerated word used to over stress a concept. Most importantly,
focus on their intentions - not how you perceive them. If the words are offensive
to you but you have every reason to believe the person wasn't intending to offend,
then don't worry about it. In the end, remember that words are just words - get
tougher
skin
6)
and
REVENGE
move
IS
on.
POINTLESS
If offended in any case, simply tell them their words are offensive and why but do
not answer with equal offense - there's no point to it. When you engage in revenge
talk, you ensure that you will not be listened to, your position will not be spread,
and you will likely hurt the cause for which you fight. What is worse is that you
are hurting a good cause for your own emotional gratification. What is sometimes
confused with enthusiastic support for a cause is actually selfish betrayal of it.
7)
CRITICIZE
POSITIONS
&
ACTIONS
NOT
PEOPLE
Sometimes you may feel lulled into ad homonym yourself. Don't do it - even a
little. That includes using sarcasm, humor at the other's expense, or even wording
that merely suggests something insulting without stating it overtly. Insulting
people is a completely separate task from debating. Insults never make your point
better than plain facts. It is best to stick to the issues at hand.
8)
DON'T
MARRY
YOUR
POSITION
To be fair, you yourself must be open-minded enough to listen and really consider
what the other person is saying. Put yourself in their shoes and imagine yourself
believing what they believe - much like an actor. Not only does this help you to
listen, it helps you to understand why they believe what they do. This will mean
that you can both spend your time focusing on the key points of difference, rather
than squabbling over fringe elements of the issue. Don't feel threatened or hurt if
you are "loosing" the argument. You know you are not perfect. This means that
you absolutely must be wrong about some things - you just don't know which.
This might be one of them. You don't have to concede in one sitting but you can at
least say, "That's a good point. I'm not sure about that but give me some time to
look into it and think about it and I'll get back to you." If you look into it and, after
careful consideration, find that you are wrong, then change. Your position is not
you. It is a good idea to admit this openly to the other person to affirm them in
their correct stance as well. This can also be an opportunity to show them that you
yourself are not merely a victory seeker in debate. Letting others know when they
are right is a way to "cash in" on your open mindedness and not only improve
relations but set a good example, which will encourage open mindedness in others
too.
9)
DON'T
USE
DECEPTION
It is better to lose the debate than to win it with deception. If you had to distract
your opponent with logical fallacy, ad homonym attacks, or irrelevant data, then
you have intentionally spread what might be falsehood for your own personal
gain. If you need shifty tactics, then you are probably wrong and should concede
defeat. If you "know" you're right, then you should be able to back it up with facts
and logic. If you can't, then you're either wrong or you need to learn more. Put the
argument on hold to study the other's points further if you must but do not attempt
to
10)
win
FORGET
by
illegitimate
ABOUT
means.
WINNING
Regardless of what much of the world, including debate clubs, encourage and
promote - for the ethical and thinking person, the point of a debate is not to win.
When two people disagree, either one of them is wrong, or both of them are. This
presents a good opportunity for learning and improvement - maybe for him or her
but also maybe for you. If you win the argument you have helped to enlighten
someone else, but if you lose then you are the most fortunate of the two, for you
have learned something new today. Pride is irrelevant, and a vice when it leads
one to be unethical or to care more for one's image or position than for truth.
Finding or spreading the truth is more important than you.