Battle of Wits

Oxford University Malaysia Club, the Cambridge University Malaysia Society and the Oxford & Cambridge Society Malaysia together with Sunway University College (Sunway) organised the third Cambridge vs. Oxford Student Debate recently.

This clash of the two university titans involved mainly debaters who are Malaysian students studying in Oxford and Cambridge back here for their summer holidays. The Cambridge team was the Government (proposer) and the Oxford team was the opposition. The motion was “This House believes that Youth should stay in Malaysia”. As would be expected these students with a promising future ahead of them, battled it out with a mastery of the English language and hammered out their well-conceived points. Each team was made up of 3 debaters, one of whom was a guest debater from Sunway who was a member of the Sunway University College International Debating Society.

After a debate which showcased the oratorical skills and nerves of steel of the students, the judges declared the Cambridge team as the winners. The best speaker was William Chan Guang Yu, who is a first year law student at Trinity College, University of Cambridge. William has a Cambridge Union Diploma in Debating under his belt.

Ainaa Azhar (guest debater from Sunway) battling out during the debate

Ainaa Azhar, guest speaker for the Oxford team is an A-Level student at Sunway University College. Ainaa was commended by the judges for her clarity of speaking. The other guest speaker was Yuventhiran S/O J.Nadarajan, an ACCA student from Sunway who was with the Cambridge team. Yuventhiran is the President of the Sunway University College International Debating Society and has taken part in a number of debates before.

William Chan, who is doing his internship with a law firm in Kuala Lumpur said “It was a good debate and it was great that we had a chance to collaborate with Sunway”.

The Speaker of the House was Dr. Stephen Hall, Director of the Language and Compulsory Studies Centre, Sunway University College. The Chief Adjudicator was Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Lin See-Yan and the other two adjudicators were Dr Lee Su Kim and Ms Margaret Kaloo.

Dr Goh Cheng Teik (left) Board Member Sunway University College and Past President of the Oxford and Cambridge Society Malaysia with the champs, the Cambridge team (from left to right) Yong Jing Ting, Yuventhiran s/o J.Nadarajan and William Chan Guang Yu

After the debate, four other Malaysian students, two each from Cambridge and Oxford University respectively, spoke candidly about life at Cambridge and Oxford. It was an interesting, personal account that gave prospective students a good glimpse into student life at the two elite universities. The Oxford and Cambridge Society Malaysia is proudly celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year. Among the objectives of the Society is to promote social, recreational and cultural activities between past and present members of the two universities, in Malaysia and to further the interest of the two universities.