THERE is a need to clarify whether debate is a part of our culture in Malaysia because there is a contention that debate in whatever context is not.
That it is alien to us. But first, we need to define “debate”. The standard definition is that a debate is a formal discourse on a particular topic or issues.
Arguments for and against viewpoints are put forward in various spatial context, such as public meetings, corporate board rooms, Parliament and even in informal setups such as coffeeshops.
And most certainly in schools and other academic institutions. Teachers are well acquainted with the debate, which is a dialectical discourse that is an integral part of the educative process.
It builds confidence and the ability to analyse and articulate opinions on various subject matters.
At the same time, it develops the ability to counter verbal challenges logically. Almost all secondary schools have debating teams that compete in interschool and
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Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (left) and Datuk Seri Najib Razak. -filepic
LAST week’s political power play in Kuala Lumpur reminds Emeritus Prof Datuk Dr Mohamed Ghouse Nasuruddin of a dalang tua (puppet master) and Wak Long (a puppet clown) in a wayang kulit (shadow play).
According to the honorary fellow at Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Centre for Policy Research and International Studies, although the dalang tua has legal problems, the politician can still exert his influence on Malaysian politics.
The professor argues that the puppet master manipulates a politician who is a stilted Wak Long character with malicious intent.
First day: Ismail Sabri (left) meeting with Ahmad Zahid in the former’s new workspace, the deputy prime minister’s office, on Friday (July 9). From Facebook
A WAYANG Jawa unfolded when Umno declared that it was withdrawing support from Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Universiti Malaya political analyst Dr Muhammad Asri Mohd Ali likens Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s early morning press conference on Thursday (July 8) to wayang Jawa, one of the four forms of wayang kulit (shadow play) in Malaysia.
The political analyst explained that shadow plays (which were traditionally staged in rural areas) and their hyperreal tales of good overcoming evil and justice being done offered villagers an escape from hardscrabble lives.