In many corrupt countries (and I am not sure what the corruption level in Malawi is), corrupt officials are more likely to be hurt by aide cutoff than the poor, who weren’t recieving the benefits anyway.

“And we will have this unjust and harsh conviction at the forefront of our minds when we negotiate the way we deliver our aid in future.

We cannot and will not let down the poor of Malawi – for too many of them international aid is a matter of life or death – but we do expect their government to face up to its international and domestic obligations.”

Urgent representation? Such bullsh!t. This is just a tell-tale sign of where the rights of gay people rank in the priority meter. If this were some racial or sexual persecution, the consequences would actually be solid. Do they not remember where their appeasement talks got them earlier in history?

All these governments do is finger-waving. But since there is no oil to take, or Christian ideology threatened, intervention from the U.S. or Britain will remain empty words.

Add the BBC. I’ve just sat through their show call-in show “World Have Your Say,” which a couple months ago thought it appropriate to “debate” the Ugandan death sentence.

Today’s topic was whether Malawi should “take pride” in this sentence. Bad enough, but the actual debate turned to whether the sentence is too harsh or too lenient. The Robin Leach-manque “moderator” did little to nothing to counter pure hateful ignorance, granting disproportionate air time to his guest, an utterly ignorant and smug African man whose belief is that a life sentence (if not death) is appropriate.

I’m just sputtering here. I can’t type.

Why the BBC or any legitimate outlet believes that this is open to debate is simply beyond me.