prepare a debate on democracy
Answers
Answer:
Debate is the bedrock of democracy in any culture or political system. It is a fundamental part of freedom of expression which is itself recognised world-wide as a basic human right. ... It is smart politics to hear what they have to say on such issues, invite their ideas and manage their expectations.
Answer:
A couple of years ago I attended a debate in Zarqa in which teams of young people debated the merits of nuclear power. All the participants engaged in the debate in a disciplined way, marshalling their arguments, responding to their opponents’ points and bringing passion and patience to a controversial subject.
Both teams had been trained as part of the British Council’s Young Arab Voices programme. This programme has given 1,600 young people in Jordan the skills and confidence to develop their debating skills and has organised over 400 debates including 2 national tournaments. The Embassy runs similar programmes to help young people freely express their thoughts and opinions on the issues that affect their lives.
Schools in many countries have debating societies. At my school (many years ago) we were encouraged by our teachers to tackle the most controversial subjects of the day. It taught us skills that have been invaluable in our working lives: about the importance of preparation, about setting out key points in a simple and logical way, and about anticipating the counter-arguments.
We also learned that debating was not about winning the vote, but about getting to the heart of the matter. Yes, the vote was about which side presented their facts in the most effective way. But the purpose of the debate was to expose all the vital issues to public scrutiny. Truth was more important than victory.
This approach is illustrated by the New Arab Debates, organised and run by Tim Sebastian, well-known for his Hard Talk interviews on BBC World. Last year his team organised an open air debate downtown on the Press and Publications Law. And last week they ran debates in both English and Arabic on whether “Egypt is a disappointment to the rest of the Arab World.”