It is a pity that Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders, as a group, waited until so late in the day to make their displeasure known and to condemn this trampling of democracy.

But late is still better than never. Moreover, Robert Mugabe cannot dismiss the Caribbean as a bunch of foreign, pink-nosed interlopers wanting to maintain white privilege in Zimbabwe, which is how he usually characterises criticisms from the West.

These are countries, primarily of the African Diaspora, which contributed, beyond their size and economic power, to Mr Mugabe's overthrow of white minority rule in the former Rhodesia and the independence of today's Zimbabwe. The Caribbean provided a powerful moral voice and strong intellectual content against the immorality of apartheid and racist rule.

Understandable

It is understandable, therefore, that the people of the Caribbean should feel betrayed by, as expressed by their leaders in Antigua and Barbuda last week, Mr Mugabe's "unacceptable trampling of the democratic and electoral process" in his country. They made no bones about the fact that, in their view, Morgan Tsvangirai had good reason to opt out of the second round of a flawed election.

In other words, without directly saying so, CARICOM has called into question his legitimacy as president, and certainly, his moral right to rule.

We would have wished the community to go further and demand that Mr Mugabe step down immediately and a new election held under international supervision. CARICOM, instead, called for the Southern African Development Council (SADC) and the African Union (AU) to continue efforts to find "a negotiated outcome to this flawed election".

Mr Mugabe, of course, is notorious for his intransigence and, up to now, the soft diplomacy being employed by the chief African mediator, Thabo Mbeki, has had little effect. Indeed, the Zimbabwean opposition has questioned Mr Mbeki's even-handedness in the process, which will further erode his effectiveness as honest-broker.

Decency in governance

CARICOM should make Mbeki aware that this region, too, has a stake in the Zimbabwe affair, as it does in assuring decency in governance across the African continent - on the basis of kinship and morality. The region's leaders, therefore, should be willing, if the need arises, to tell Mr Mbeki when it is time to step aside to allow for a proactive and credible approach to the negotiations on Zimbabwe if that country is not to sink deeper into a social, political and economic quagmire.

The region must be ready, too, to flex its muscle in critical international fora to further isolate Mr Mugabe and his regime. Last week's statement, we hope, was the start of the process of tough love.