KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 — The Ministry of Communications and Multimedia (KKMM) views the issue of sexual harassment seriously, said its Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa.

He said that sexual harassment is not a trivial issue, in fact, it is a criminal offence.

"This issue will not be resolved by treating any party involved lightly, instead, it requires full efforts from the media and the authorities as well as those involved,” he said in a statement on his Facebook account today to explain a news report published by a local daily.

Annuar said a news report on his views on sexual harassment had been misconstrued and did not reflect his stance.

"I received a WhatsApp message from the reporter (of the daily newspaper) for an interview.

"The reporter suggested sexual harassment in the country’s creative industry as the topic of the interview but I suggested that the interview to discuss my main focus at the moment, which is industry’s development to help art practitioners in the country,” he said, adding that he had alerted the police on the matter, for further action. — Bernama