Annuar Claims His Stance On Sexual Harassment In Entertainment Industry Was Misinterpreted

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He took to his official Facebook page today, 21 November to release a statement following a report in Utusan Malaysia that quoted the Communication and Multimedia Minister saying that it is unnecessary to magnify cases of sexual harassment in the entertainment industry as the focus should be on positive things.

Utusan Malaysia had reported that Annuar explained to Mingguan Malaysia that industry players should prioritise positive things over isolated issues of sexual harassment that have allegedly occurred.

His ministry is responsible for overseeing and regulating all forms of content including communications, multimedia, broadcasting, media industry, film industry, international broadcasting among others.

In the report, Utusan Malaysia said that the minister was asked if the positive thing was to develop and continue to improve the quality of the country’s art industry, Annuar replied with a simple “yes”.

In the statement posted on his Facebook page, Annuar wrote that the reporter had suggested the topic of the interview to be about sexual harassment in the Malaysian entertainment industry.

“But I suggested that the interview discuss my main focus at the moment, which is the development of the (entertainment) industry to help art practitioners in the country,” the minister wrote.

“Unfortunately, what came out was the reporter’s interpretation which did not reflect my stance.”

Denying that sexual harassment is a trivial issue, the minister described it as 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 wrote, adding that he has alerted the police.

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