Mqabba deputy mayor in hot water again after mental health remark
'Prepare for Ward 10,' Jonathan Dingli tells Alex Borg in reference to Mount Carmel
The Labour deputy mayor of Mqabba, Jonathan Dingli, is once again in hot water after being accused by the Nationalist Party of using disparaging language referring to persons with mental health conditions in a comment aimed at Nationalist Party leader Alex Borg.
Reacting to an interview with Borg, Dingli took to Facebook to tell the Opposition leader to “prepare himself for Ward 10”, a reference to a former ward at Mount Carmel Hospital that was historically associated with patients considered particularly challenging and which has since been closed.
The comment has since been deleted.
The PN condemned the remark, saying it trivialised mental illness and was deeply offensive to people experiencing mental health conditions. It stressed that Dingli, as a deputy mayor, holds a position that carries responsibility and should be held to a higher standard of public conduct.
The party said it expected an apology from Dingli and urged Labour leader Robert Abela to condemn the comment and take the necessary steps, warning that silence from the party leadership would once again signal tolerance of harmful and stigmatising language.
The PN also appealed for greater sensitivity towards people experiencing mental health difficulties, saying that at a time when awareness around mental health is meant to be increasing, such language could never be justified.
The latest controversy has revived scrutiny of Dingli’s conduct in public office, coming months after he sparked widespread outrage with a social media comment suggesting that women “enjoy being beaten”.
That remark, posted in response to a ONE News item at the time, drew immediate condemnation from opposition figures and civil society organisations, with critics saying it undermined efforts to combat domestic violence and protect survivors.
The Malta Women’s Lobby had described the comment as offensive and misogynistic, calling for Dingli’s resignation and urging the Labour Party to demonstrate zero tolerance for such language from elected representatives.
Although Dingli later issued a brief apology, saying his words had been taken out of context, senior Labour figures, including party officials and the minister responsible for local councils, said no further action was required.
An offer by Dingli to donate two months’ honourarium to the domestic violence shelter Dar Merħba Bik was rejected by the foundation, which said it could not accept the donation given the circumstances.
The Labour Party has so far not issued a response to the PN’s latest call for condemnation.