Despite falling to Antigua, the Montserrat team can celebrate with Dauquan Wray who won best speaker on the first night of the Leeward Islands Debating Competition.
The competition officially opened on Thursday evening at the Sonesta Maho Resort & Convention Centre on St. Maarten.
Seven islands are represented in the tournament by college and university students, who come to tests their ability to debate current topics successfully.
Daquan was the second speaker opposing the moot “Legislatively removing corporal punishment will be detrimental to Caribbean children.” Leader was Chekwube Okereke, who was also commended by the judges for his presentation style and “fantastic timing”. He was encouraged to have good knowledge of the material in order to speak more fluidly.
Team Montserrat must now sit out the rest of the competition after losing to Antigua by one point. The final scores were Antigua 229 and Montserrat 228. Wray won best speaker with 96 points.
Below is the schedule for the other debates.
| Friday Feb. 26th | The free movement of CARICOM nationals is a net positive for the Caribbean region. | BVI vs St. Kitts |
| Friday Feb. 26th | The Illegal Drug Trade has undermined the legitimacy and effectiveness of Caribbean Governments. | St. Maarten vs Nevis |
| Saturday Feb. 27th | The popularity of skin lightening is testament to the racism/colourism that plagues Caribbean society. | Antigua vs Winner Debate 2 |
| Saturday Feb. 27th | The Caribbean are not doing enough to combat child abuse. | Anguilla vs Winner Debate 3 |
| Sunday Feb. 28th | The marginalization of men has led to the breakdown of Caribbean society. | Winner Debate 4 vs Winner Debate 5 |
Follow the rest of the competition on the official website at www.leewardislandsdebating.com .
