Nakishma Rogers and Kristy Richardson, students at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School, gave Anguilla the 2005 championship in the Leeward Islands Debating Competition on Sunday night, February 27.

That was when the finals of the competition were held at the Scouts and Guides Ruthwill Auditorium.

The St. Maarten debate supporters on the final night

Both students received thunderous applause from their fellow students and other supporters in the packed auditorium as they made their powerful presentations. The topic of the debate was: Hip-Hop culture has great potential to promote meaningful social change, but instead glorifies sex, violence and materialism.

Kristy Richardson

Nakishma was adjudged Best Overall Speaker and Kristy Best Speaker. Between them they received 604 points out of a possible total of 690.

Vishal Raj Chugame

Avinash Uttamchamdani

Their opponents, Vishal Raj Chugame and Avinash Uttamchamdani, of St. Maarten, scored a total of 534 points.

Anguilla team and Governor Huckle cheering their debaters

Anguilla team and Governor Huckle

The St. Maarten debaters who entered the competition for the first time, were applauded for their performance not only by their cheering supporters, but the general audience. They performed well both on Thursday, February 24, the opening night of the competition and on Saturday and Sunday nights, February 26 and 27, thus gaining second place eventually.

On the opening night the St. Maarten team took on the debaters from St. Kitts and won. The topic was: The potential benefits of legalizing the cannabis industry are worth the potential fallout.

On Friday night, February 25, the Antigua team narrowly defeated Montserrat when both teams debated the topic: Heads of Government should serve no more than two consecutive terms.

There were two debates on Saturday night, February 26. In the first, the St. Maarten team won Nevis on the topic: When political decision-making is influenced by religious institutions, the rights of the individual are threatened.

Nakishma Rogers

In the second debate the Anguilla team survived a close challenge from the Antigua team on the topic: Developing nations need a total debt write off to achieve sustainable development. The Anguillian debaters convincingly made their mark, however, when they won St. Maarten in the finals last Sunday.

Next year the Leeward Islands Debating Competition will be held in St. Maarten.

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