Introducing the potential future PM for Singapore.....

Singaporean ranked top debater at world's biggest debating tournament

By Lin Yanqin, TODAY | Posted: 05 January 2010 2327 hrs



SINGAPORE: Singaporean Li Shengwu has been ranked the top debater at the world's biggest debating tournament, beating more than 700 others to be ranked number one.

Mr Li, who turns 25 this year, was part of the team representing Oxford University at the World Universities Debating Championships (Worlds) held this year at Koc University in Turkey.

Mr Li, the son of Fraser & Neave chairman Lee Hsien Yang and lawyer Lee Suet Fern, grandson of the Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, is the third Singaporean to win the honour. He was also recently ranked the best speaker at the prestigious annual Cambridge IV international debating competition.

One of three Singaporeans to top their respective courses at Oxford University last year, he is now pursuing his Masters in economics at the same university. His parents, who were thrilled with his performance in Turkey, told MediaCorp: "He is awesome. We gave up debating with him years ago!"

Asked how he managed to top the 2010 championship with the highest individual score, Mr Li said: "It's partly just about quite consistent performance over nine rounds."

The top debater, who returns to his alma mater, Raffles Institution, to help train younger debaters during his university vacation breaks several times a year, added: "I think partly it's to do with getting a lot of experience, and reading the kinds of things to do with philosophy and economics that are very helpful for debating."

The motion at the Worlds' grand final was "The media should show the horrors of war". The University of Sydney beat the teams from Harvard, the London School of Economics and Oxford University to emerge winners.

The week-long competition, which is based on British parliamentary debating and has been held annually since 1981, ended on Sunday with some 360 teams from universities worldwide taking part.

question how can he be a Li when his parents are both Lee????

JuanST wrote:question how can he be a Li when his parents are both Lee????

han yu pin ying....

so what is written on his IC? Lee or Li??

JuanST wrote:so what is written on his IC? Lee or Li??

must be Li.....

that only affects his english name right, his chinese name would still be the same as his parents?

JuanST wrote:that only affects his english name right, his chinese name would still be the same as his parents?

yes, Li is romanising the chinese name of Lee... it was a rule a few year back, to standardise chinese surnames that Han Yu Pin Yin must be used, but think they scrapped that down the road,... my child's name is not written in standard romanised chinese...

just wondering.... maybe he tot he was adopted....

ermm..
at least he is a good debater to begin with..
meaning he speaks well... better public communication than many politician I have seen speaking in public.

be careful of those who can speak.....

lukester wrote:ermm..
at least he is a good debater to begin with..
meaning he speaks well... better public communication than many politician I have seen speaking in public.

yes, I believe he at least could speak better then his uncle and also better then Holy Goh and the worst of it all, Lim Swee Say.....

In Lee we trust, and as they close parliament session with the Singapore prayer, in the name of the father, the son and the holy Goh.... majullah...

singapore trinity..... how do u put in the grandson?

JuanST wrote:singapore trinity..... how do u put in the grandson?

grandson in the training, not in the trinity yet....

wait he say 50% tax and 50% GST... and he is a power debtor noone can win what he say....

keigo wrote:wait he say 50% tax and 50% GST... and he is a power debtor noone can win what he say....

by the time he is able to be PM, I am old and in my wheelchair or maybe in power form....

keigo wrote:wait he say 50% tax and 50% GST... and he is a power debtor noone can win what he say....

this happens.... all fts and singaporeans go somewhere else.....

no JUAN.. some richman or politician named their son another surname or surname closed to theirs..

so e.g. if the family declared bankrupt or any lawful against the family, this son will not be affected due to different surname

it is usual for most of them to do that and its pretty common cause 1 of my friend are like that

Hahaha!! Ehhh but I think in this case nolah. Think what Kapitan says is more likely the case. :-)

Think if this debate thing started before 1981, confirm the other Lee might win too!! Hahaha!! :-)

If I not mistaken, 3 generations of the Lee family have been at Oxford University?? I know for sure LKY went to Oxford. Not sure about his sons tho. :-)