Leave the facts aside. Leave aside, too, the yet-to-be-verified information overflow. There is one critical reality that all sides of the political divide are bound to suffer seriously from and for a long time to come.

The Selangor debacle has hit the streets and coffee corners. Everyone is caught up with the media reports - both print, electronic and the social mediascape as they either express shock, become intrigued, speculate or wait eagerly for more breaking news.

Report what pro-party and anti-party media may, the public are soaking up on perceptions about the ongoing saga surrounding the Selangor debacle.

And therein crouches hidden, the greatest threat to all quarters from political parties on both sides of the divide right up to the doorstep of HRH the sultan’s palace.

As Al Ries and Jack Trout the world’s best-known marketing strategists and consultants to world class and Fortune 500 companies point out, “perceptions are really what make you and break you”,  the politicians, their leaders and the very fundamentals on which each party is founded are being battered by this unfolding and dragging of the Selangor political shocker.

It would be pure arrogant foolishness to dismiss the power of perceptions.

When politicians and their bosses are perceived as being unable to resolve their differences with learned poise, and hopelessly allowing themselves and their statements and actions to be ploughed through the mediascape, then those perceptions are going to root and it would take an uphill task to dismantle such perceptions.

As far as this Selangor mess is concerned, it has already affected everyone who has a stake in the state and its powers. The people are shocked. They are finding speculation a free-for-all preoccupation.

Meanwhile, the inability to deal decisively; the inability to capitalise on the situation with dignified leadership; and instead, the hopeless blows beneath the belts that seem to be the weapon of war from all political parties are only eroding the faith and confidence of the citizenry in their leaders, politicians, and the political machineries.

Such perceptions do not augur well for a nation that is still grappling with the numerous and unprecedented developments on the national and global turfs while hanging precariously on the cliff of two divides, namely, remaining a Third World class versus being able to make that quantum leap in attaining developed nation status.

Clearly Malaysia is losing time; the nation is bleeding with a lack of decisive, praiseworthy leadership. The Selangor state crisis reaffirms this reality.

All politicians, their leaders and the political parties must take the blame.

Underlying this crisis is the now strengthened perception that the political landscape of this nation is riddled and plagued with power struggles and greed. At some point that perception is going to translate to lack of national motivation to be productive; the will of the people will weaken; and should the global recession set in, all hell will break lose.

The question being traded at the market square is: when the working classes of citizens are breaking their backs trying to juggle and balance against a fast rising and almost unpredictable living costs each month, is this the kind of leadership that they should deserve.

Such thoughts and feelings when harbored for too long will drive deep wedges in any society and make a nation extremely vulnerable in the wake of a global tide - be it economic, social, political or environmental.