PETALING JAYA: Debaters from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) have made the nation proud again by winning the Asian British Parliamentary Debating Championship, the second most prestigious debate competition in Asia.

Third-year law students Mohd Mifzal Mohd Murshid Kieron, 21, and Rafiq Saladdin Omar Salahuddin, 22, were named champions after defeating Nanyang Technology University from Singapore, Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Dhaka from Bangladesh and another UiTM team in the four-way grand finals.

This is the second time a Malaysian team has clinched the title since the tournament began in 2009, when it was won by the Multimedia University (MMU).

For the icing on the cake, Mohd Mifzal was also awarded best overall speaker of the competition while Rafiq was named best speaker of the finals.

“We’re really happy about the win. It is very empowering as we head for the World Universities Debating Championship (WUDC) at the end of this year.

“It was also very encouraging to have two teams in the finals and know that our chances for winning had increased,” said Mifzal, who explained that the tournament had been difficult and challenging but also stimulating at the same time.

UiTM has been at the finals of the ABP for four consecutive years so the win was an especially welcome one, added Mifzal.

Both the third-year law students faced six preliminary rounds and four knockout rounds become coming home with the coveted trophy.

The tournament ran from Oct 2 to Oct 9 and was hosted by Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UniMas), Kuching. The 8-day competition drew in 76 teams from 22 countries across Asia.

In June, UiTM debater Maizura Mokhsein, 23, also created history by being the first Malaysian debater to be ranked 1st in Asia.

UiTM will be hosting the WUDC, the biggest debate tournament in the world in December this year.