So the Malawian President is still a homophobe because he still thinks homosexuality is wrong, but he's not an evil one or something like that.
If it weren't for the massive negative international press, he would have been completely happy with the situation.
The situation is more complex than this. I used to work for a non-governmental organisation that had operations in Malawi, and I've spent a lot of time there. The founding president of modern independent Malawi, Hastings Kamuzu Banda, was a very repressive leader (for some 30 years) of a single-part state that censored books, newspapers, films, and even had a national dress code–if the police thought your hair was too long, they would cut it themselves. People linked this conservatism with independence from colonial rule and, in some ways, became comfortable with it as the price one pays for self-determination.
Bingu's agenda has been primarily one of eliminating corruption and stabilising the food supply for his country. GLBT issues aren't on his radar scope, nor those of most Malawi politicians or social leaders The Malawi people (who are among the kindest, warmest, and most hospitable in the world), for the most part, wouldn't know the terms "gay" or "lesbian" even if they're fluent in English. They are simply not aware of the phenomenon. There is, though, a small, but growing, pro-equality movement.
Given all this, I commend Bingu for essentially threading a needle: If he became a public supporter of GLBT rights, that would be so anathema to the people that his government could collapse, and its replacement could be a return to the Banda era. But by acting as he did, he gently opens the door to a little bit more acceptance and tolerance. GLBT rights there will come by evolution, not revolution.
Yes, it took international press and attention to stimulate the president's actions, but I don't think it's accurate to say that without this attention he would have been "happy with the situation." Instead, I think he would have been completely unaware of it.
There's certainly a long, long way to go before LGBT people have equal rights in Malawi (or lots of other countries). But I think branding Bingu as a homophobe is too simplistic. He is president of deeply conservative country that faces significant problems--such as preventing its population from dying of hunger, malaria, and AIDS. I can understand that he and his government would not pay much attention to LGBT rights. I am confident, though, that eventually the good people of Malawi will join the growing international equality movement. It won't be this year, or next, but it will happen.