As the clock keeps ticking away towards the next general election - in all probability its 2018, the one question that will hound all voting Malaysians is who they see as their saviour leader.

The country is paralysed with a leadership crisis.

The past several years of political birthing has released the ultimate question into the centre of Malaysian politics.

What has boomeranged to the forefront of our political pangs is the fact that there are three possibilities as to who should lead Malaysia from 2018.

Is it Dr Mahathir Mohamad (or his yet to be publicly anointed nemesis)? Or should it be none other than Najib Abdul Razak (or his appointed shadow)? Or will the citizens rally behind Anwar Ibrahim?

Some may retort claiming that it should be none of the three. But is there a ‘Modi’ or a ‘Jokowi’ or a ‘Duterte’ or even a ‘Trump’ hopeful that you can name for Malaysia, please?

Leave aside the complicated realities for a moment. The fact that ultimately will determine how Malaysians will fare from 2018 and thereafter is in the leader that they want as prime minister.

And the truth is that the nation is divided on this very question.

Will we break through like India that saw Narendra Modi take up the mantle? Will we break through as the Filipinos had in voting for Rodrigo Duterte?

Given our six decades of fragmenting political party structures that swing between race and religion rights, what hope does Malaysia hold? Given the very architecture of how rural and postal votes make a defining difference, what choices will count? Given the goodies-bag voting population what chances do we have?

Indeed, Malaysia is at a crossroads. Without a knight in shining armour in the works, ultimately Malaysians must decide what their future hope or fate shall be. And therein lays the catch-22 paradox of all times. Perhaps we have not sunk low enough to decide collectively like India, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar and soon the United States.