Making liberal use of mythic references, a Penang DAP leader has warned Pakatan Harapan against the practice of "Janus-faced" politics (Janus is the ancient Roman god of duality and transition known for having two faces).

Waxing lyrical, Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy said the nature of "Janus-faced politics" is not so much about diametrically opposite views, but rather how the past comes to haunt future progress.

"We really cannot blame the non-existence of democratic norms, procedures and values if we are not prepared to abandon old ways of thinking that seek to find solace in the emergence of a Leviathan," Ramasamy said.

In this case, Ramasamy was referring to a 'sea monster' first referenced in the Bible's Book of Job but which also came to mean a 'monstrous whale' by the time of its mention in Herman Melville's Moby Dick.