INTERVIEW | New Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah is no stranger to the country’s basketball community, being dubbed the 'basketball minister' when he was tipped to make his return to the cabinet.

Saifuddin grabbed headlines again just over a week ago, when he wowed the public with a reverse layup at the 4th Asian University 3X3 Basketball Championship in Kuala Lumpur, playing beside Philippines Foreign Secretary Alan Cayetano.

"I was doing some shooting and layup with the foreign secretary of the Philippines, but that was more for fun. But it is not unusual to use sports (for diplomacy).

"Sports has its own role in forging unity, in nurturing certain positive traits in the people. Likewise, I think, sports has a role in diplomacy.

“We must remember that diplomacy is not just about government-to-government, it is also about people-to-people," he said in an interview with Malaysiakini.

An avid basketball fan, Saifuddin threw his support behind the sport in the previous administration as the deputy higher education minister.

He even took part in the 'YB Can Jump' 3-on-3 event in 2011 in a match against Malaysiakini.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls fan has long loved the sport, being among the very few who took it up when studying in Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK).

But as much as they unite, the partisan nature of sporting events can also go awry, Safuddin said, pointing to the national under-19 football team being attacked with stones and bottles by Indonesian fans in the Asean Football Federation Under-19 Cup earlier this month.

"We have a recent story about our team playing in Indonesia, our neighbouring country and we have some issues.

"Alhamdullilah, I think they have resolved the issue, and I hope it will not happen again. I mean, those are hiccups.

"Some people used to say education is also a platform for diplomacy. Sports is important and we have to do it well, because sometimes sporting competitions can also cause a backlash," Saifuddin added.

Sports diplomacy

The term ‘basketball diplomacy’ was popularised when former Chicago Bulls star Dennis Rodman made several trips to Pyongyang as a private citizen to meet with his “friend for life” Kim Jong-Un, the North Korean leader.

“I’m just trying to open the door,” he said at the time.

Rodman even said he would make an appearance in Singapore ahead of Kim’s historic meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Though perhaps an unconventional example, Saifuddin nevertheless believes it shows how sports can be used as a platform for enhancing people-to-people relationships among countries in the region.

"Generally, I think sports is one platform where people-to-people relationships can be further enhanced, and basketball is one sport which is quite popular in this region.

"Maybe not as popular as football, but there are some countries who are quite strong in basketball, and probably we can talk to countries in 'basketball terms'.

“That is definitely not a foreign policy principle!" he joked.

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