Amid the ongoing Anwar Ibrahim sodomy conviction appeal, a survey reveals that almost half of Malaysians polled in a survey lack faith in the country's judicial system.

According to Merdeka Center For Opinion Research, the survey, involving 1,500 respondents, was carried out between  Oct 11 and Oct 26.

"The survey found that only 38 percent of Malaysians reported feeling confident in the country's judicial system, compared to 48 percent who responded in the negative," the independent pollster said in a statement today.

The Malaysian judiciary is often accused of being biased in matters involving opposition politicians.

Anwar himself has claimed that the sodomy charge against him was fabricated and his conviction was in line with a plot hatched by his political rivals.

However, the government has repeatedly denied interfering in court cases, saying that judges are not subjected to political pressure.

Malays have more confidence

Of the 38 percent of respondents who said they were confident of the judiciary, only nine percent were "very confident" while 29 percent were "somewhat confident".

Among the 48 percent who were not confident, 29 percent were somewhat not confident while 19 percent were not confident at all, with 14 percent of those surveyed saying they were not sure.

Of the 48 percent, the majority of those who lacked faith in the judiciary were Chinese, followed by Indians.

In comparison, more Malays said they were confident in the judiciary than those who stated otherwise.

The Merdeka Center survey also revealed that respondents in urban areas were more distrusting of the judiciary than their rural counterparts.

Similar sentiments were also found among those with access to the Internet and the alternative media, compared with those who are exposed to the mainstream media and without Internet access.

“Those between the ages of 31 and 40 were most distrusting of the judiciary while those above the age of 60 were most confident of the judiciary,” revealed the survey.

In terms of occupation and household income, respondents working in the private sector and those earning more than RM5,000 a month clearly lacked faith in the judicial system.

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