Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika has admitted that he pardoned a gay couple sentenced to 14 years because he was concerned about international aid (allAfrica.com: Malawi: Mutharika Pardoned Gays Because He Was Worried About Aid). I have nothing against gays, if 2 adult same gender persons wish to get it on, so be it. However, many of us are very aware that many stories do not make the news, we know not every murder, every child abduction, every shooting or stabbing or even every pit-bull ravished child makes it to the headlines and so what happens to the other gays that may be languishing in Malawi, carrying out ‘sodomy’ acts, will they get pardoned too? Will they avoid prosecution?

Even more disturbing, I think, is that Aid can change the moral values of a government. Whilst I may not agree with Malawi’s condemnation of Gay relationships, they have decided that it is a criminal offense to practise it in the country. Here, therefore, is a Head of State overturning a decision made by the country’s courts following the laws of the land in order to ensure that the media fuss over this couple does not stem the flow of money into his country.

It has got to make you wonder how many other ‘concessions’ are made on our behalf of all citizens all over the world in the face of hard cold currency, aid or otherwise.

[First published on my NotTheNews blog on specified date]