Malta Hotel Lobby Chief Takes A Dig At Activist After Being Labeled An Avaricious ‘Capitalist’
Tony Zahra, Malta Hotel and Restaurant Association’s (MHRA) president, took a dig at local NGO Moviment Graffitti after they shared a graphic labelling Zahra as a “capitalist” who “is only loyal to money.”
The graphic, titled ‘The Pyramid Of Political Power In Malta’ was initially shared by Andre Callus, a prominent Moviment Graffitti activist.
“Throughout the past twenty years that I have been observing Maltese politics, I have noticed a certain political structure,” Callus said. “This is a structure that determines a lot of things that happen on our island, and it goes beyond whatever party is currently in government.”
The graphic went on to show five different classes of people – the capitalists at the top of the pyramid, followed by politicians, business men, suck-ups, and at the bottom of the chain, party supporters.
During a webinar hosted by MHRA, Zahra made a short statement in which he targeted Moviment Graffitti – presumably in light of said graphic.
“Mr Graffitti, the tourist industry is also about your members,” Zahra said. “We are here lobbying for everybody, not only the capitalists.”
“One thing I can assure everybody about – including Graffitti’s members – is that we are seeking to reignite the industry by making Malta top of the game when it comes to safety.”
Callus’ graphic referred to capitalists as “a small group of people – many of whom are multi-millionaires – who control Malta.”
“Whilst some of them lean towards certain parties, their loyalty is only shown towards money and occasionally political parties – when it suits them.”
The post made waves on Facebook, amassing upwards of 100 shares and almost 400 reactions. Whilst most agreed with Callus, others lashed out at him, with one particularly disgruntled commenter saying, “If you ruled our country, we’d still be in the prehistoric times.”