The UGM delegation brought home the first-place trophy at the Munir Said Thalib National Criminal Law Debate Competition, part of Brawijaya Law Fair 2016. The victory further strengthened UGM’s position as one of the leading competitors in national debate competitions.
“The debate team has continued this tradition. Even before this competition, the Faculty of Law, UGM, had consistently been among the top contenders in national-level debate competitions,” said Prof. Dr. Sigit Riyanto, S.H., LL.M., Dean of the Faculty of Law, during a press conference held on Monday (21/11) in the Faculty of Law Debate Room.
The three students representing UGM were Dede Tri Nugraha Amir, Calvin Lucky, and Muhammad Gravi Danutirto, under the guidance of Muhammad Fatahillah Akbar, S.H., LL.M. To claim the championship title, the team had to defeat 23 delegations from universities across Indonesia and advance through four stages of competition held over two consecutive days, 17–18 November.
The competition began with the preliminary round, in which participants were divided into eight chambers, each consisting of three teams. UGM faced a challenging draw, being placed in the same group as Universitas Indonesia and Universitas Negeri Lampung. However, the UGM team demonstrated its strength by securing decisive victories over both teams. After winning its chamber, UGM advanced to the quarterfinals and continued through to the semifinals, where it faced the Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP) delegation.
“In the semifinal, we faced a very strong opponent. The match against UNDIP ended in a draw, but we ultimately advanced to the final after winning on points,” Dede said.
Dede acknowledged that the competition was physically and mentally demanding. Nevertheless, their hard work paid off when they won the final against Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS), arguing on the opposing side of the motion that reconciliation should serve as a mechanism for resolving the 1965 human rights violations.
“The competition was very demanding because the preliminary rounds through the semifinals were held in a single day, followed by the final the next day. Nevertheless, we are proud to have brought home this victory,” he added.
In addition to winning the debate competition, UGM also advanced to the final of the Legal Opinion Competition, which was another part of Brawijaya Law Fair 2016. Focusing on juvenile criminal cases, UGM was represented by Sigit Wibowo. He was named the winner after defeating delegates from Universitas Indonesia, Universitas Hasanuddin, Universitas Diponegoro, and several other universities. (UGM Public Relations/Gloria)
