Since the time that Anwar Ibrahim was sacked, disgustingly paraded in and out of court and jailed time and again, the Malaysian political sentiments have remained frayed.

The general election that came and went saw the opposition coalition almost making it to Putrajaya with Anwar at the helm. The subsequent by-elections and state elections and the current two by-elections that we are wading through continue to paint a ‘true picture’.

The ‘true picture’ is Malaysians are left with little choice. It is much like the proverbial devil and the deep blue sea for voters.

Between an opposition block that ceaselessly seems to expose its fragile partnership of convenience and the ruling strongman Barisan Nasional (BN) that remains saddled with alleged mismanagement, misappropriations, corruption and various allegations, the voters are left with little choice.

If the nation is to see any significant progress on the political scene, there must be a formidable opposition to offer voters an alternative on which to place their precious bets.

But getting the Democratic Action Party (DAP), Parti Amanah Negara, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Parti Socialis Malaysia (PSM) to evolve into a single coalition with a well-defined political mantra is a forgone conclusion. It just will not happen in the light years ahead of us.

They all harbour that illusive dream of one day becoming the chieftains at Putrajaya.

Hence, the voters will continue to put their bets on BN for the simple reason that at least the BN component parties are cohesively aligned towards supporting each other while putting up a good fight (seemingly though), to represent their respective party members’ interests.

At the least, unless and until the opposition can evolve into an alternative BN the opposition parties can kiss goodbye to their dream journey of reaching Putrajaya. Yes they may win a little here and there but that is all there is and the ensuing struggles that they will keep battling endlessly.

Eventually, it paves the way for BN to come out of its alleged shadowy dealings and continue to remain as the ‘deep blue sea’ best option for voters as citizens experience political lethargy.

The opposition coalition is further handicapped by its inability to have a leader who can be seen as the anchor man. With Anwar Ibrahim placed behind iron bars, there is none rising from the dust.

Some may say that the MPs, Rafizi Ramli and Nurul Izzah Anwar in particular, are the rising stars. But get real people. Can they get the opposition coalition to discard their respective power-game dreams and form a formidable match for BN?

It seems like a long, long way to seeing the sun rise above the horizon of Malaysia’s entrenched and divisive politics.