2020 for PILS started just like any other year. The Vis and Jessup Teams were deep in preparation for their oral rounds. It was business as usual. In early February, when this “unknown” virus started to spread in a city called Wuhan in China, the Jessup Team was fighting the battle of their life in the Jessup National Rounds. The Jessup Team finished the National Rounds with an something that seemed to elude PILS for years, a spot in the International Rounds. More than that, our Jessup Oralists were all in the Top 10 (achieving the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 9th top spots).
At the same time, grief news struck the Vis Team, as political turmoil rose and the now infamous COVID-19 pandemic spread, the Vis Oral Round in Hong Kong was cancelled and moved virtually. Not long after that the Jessup International Rounds was also cancelled as our campus activities also moved online around the same time. Despite the situation, our Vis Team has strived and for the second year in a row achieved an Honourable Mention Award for Best Memorials.
As the world goes into lockdown and people are adapting to this online world, so did PILS. Despite the pandemic, PILS keeps looking forward. In fact, we’ve had more events this year compared to previous years. This includes numerous online workshops and webinars. The first one was an alumni sharing session conducted with PILS’ recent graduates talking about their experience working in law firm as fresh graduates. After that, we’ve had numerous workshops and webinars partnering with the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC), the Indonesian Society of International Law (ISIL), Hendra Soenardi Law Firm, and other moot court societies from Universitas Udayana, Universitas Indonesia, and Universitas Padjajaran. These events would have been more difficult if conducted offline. Thus, maybe these events were possible not ‘despite of’ but ‘because of’ the pandemic.
PILS have also continued to grow despite these circumstances. For example, this year we accepted 13 freshmen from the class of 2020 into our internship program, the largest number ever. This program, which has been running for the last few years, has become the main training ground for PILS future mooters, and has produced some of the best mooters in recent years. We have also increased our online presence through the creation of this PILS Website. It is my hope that this website will become the platform to launch PILS to even greater heights in the future.
Lastly, the competitions. The Jessup and Vis moots are going virtual for 2021 and COVID does not stop or hinder our teams’ preparation. Drafting sessions and team meetings are moved online, but not even a global pandemic will beak the spirit of PILS mooters and their hunger to prove themselves.
And now we have reached the end of 2020, a year that seemed to last so long and yet also went as quick as it came. A year that started with achievements by our mooters and ends with our next generation of mooters preparing for their future battles. A year in which PILS as an organisation not merely survived, but also thrived. Here’s to more possibilities and challenges in the future!
Your President,
Clemens Danang