BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AFTER four days of keenly contested debates, the 37th Annual Leeward Islands Debating Competition (LIDC) culminated last night (Mar. 1) with reigning champion Team St. Kitts walking away with the winning title.
Team St. Kitts, representing the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College Literary and Debating Society (CFBCLDS), consisted of lead speakers Akeem Bacchus and Rolhensha Henry supported by Tishima Browne, Isalean Phillip, Xavienne-Roma Richardson and Carlton Williams.
The competition, hosted by the Hyacinth Richardson Educational Awareness Foundation, St. Maarten, brought together a number of young and intelligent debaters from the host country, St. Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, Montserrat and Anguilla as well as first-time participant British Virgin Islands (BVI). Hundreds of students, staff sponsors and an entourage of country supporters turned out to cheer on their respective teams as they vied for the coveted LIDC champion title.
Team Anguilla secured its spot in the semi-finals following the first debate on February 26, eliminating Montserrat. Friday night’s debate saw Team St. Maarten and Nevis in a neck to neck heated debate on making religion a compulsory part of Caribbean school curricula. Host country St. Maarten proved to have the more compelling argument, knocking Nevis out of the competition after the second debate.
The third debate between the BVI and Antigua had an equally high standard of discussion on the relevance of a politician’s personal lifestyle in determining suitability for public office, as both teams tabled outstanding presentations on the topic. At the end of debate three, Team BVI managed to erase hope of victory for Team Antigua as it was announced as the third team to advance into the semi-finals.
Team St. Kitts dismissed Anguilla from the competition in debate four, earning themselves a seat in the finals with their convincing debate of the viability of polygamy in preventing the destructive consequences of single parent families. The semi-finals also saw the battle of the more convincing debaters as Teams St. Marten and BVI discussed in detail whether crime or inflation was the real hindrance of Caribbean development. The proposition Team St. Maarten won the approval of the judges when it celebrated its land-slide victory, striking Team BVI from the competition.
Sunday night’s (Mar. 1) final debate was met with much anticipation and suspense as hordes of supporters draped in the various national colours and emblems rallied behind their representatives. Following the proposition by St. Maarten, Bacchus, backed by Richardson stepped up the standard of the debate and stirred much excitement in the competition. The presentations and compelling rebuttals allowed Team St. Kitts the second chance of claiming victory as the team debunked the misconception that “The greatest threat to sustainable development in the Caribbean is the existing political culture”.
Team St. Kitts received 725 points winning the competition by a modest margin of 34 points. The final announcement broke the suspense as students from all over the region collectively celebrated the team’s victory in a spontaneous uproar.
Bacchus was named best speaker for debate six and Henry was identified by the judges as the best speaker for both her debate and the overall competition attaining 193 of a possible 200 points.
The team’s victory increased its record to nine wins over the last 37 years, making St. Kitts the island with most LIDC wins.
