THE CROWDS were long gone. The chapel, packed on Tuesday with the high and the mighty from far and wide, stood shuttered and restored to its accustomed calm. Nearby, the huge white tent which also gave shelter to the invited, awaited removal.

On the dew-soaked grass, next to the UWI Mona Chapel, a small indentation of cement, painted white, was the centre of attention. It was where the Prof’s last remains would go. Then, in the presence of a small group of university leaders, colleagues and extended family, they quietly laid him down – the palmful of ashes, reminding of the Lenten intonation, “Dust thou art and to dust shalt thou return.”

In the small but hallowed space, his remains were joined by those of his mother who, having attained a full century of living, requested that when her son’s time came, his ashes and hers should be interred together. Her wishes were fulfilled.

With the short and simple ceremony, the book was closed on the main chapter of the Rex Nettleford story. No one doubts that, in time, there will be other chapters of reminiscence and evaluation, the separation of fact from fiction, wherever possible. Our resident national cynic has already been at work, I’m told, feverishly trying to sneer and jeer at the torrent of public respect and admiration for one whose amazing litany of achievements has reminded us that when we decide to be the best, we have no equal.

As for cynicism – we’ve always reserved the right to doubt like Thomas. What is unforgiveable and uncivilised, however, is the need to try to belittle the dead. You have to have a special streak of mean-spiritedness to dedicate time and effort to it. But what’s new? As Rex himself used to say, “Some people can’t help themselves…So, let it all come out in the wash.”

The intensity of the two weeks of mourning for one who was not an elected official nor an appointed head of state, was phenomenal… and disturbing for the curmudgeons who claimed not to understand what the fuss was about. How to explain what took place in Port of Spain on Carnival Tuesday morning, when according to a report, revellers hot and ready to take to the streets in fete, paused to pay silent tribute for one who was popularly known as “the quintessential Caribbean man”.

What does such an honour mean? To stop the Carnival, an aficionado says, is like asking Bolt to jog on the spot after the gun has gone off for another tilt at a world record. “Nobody stop de Carnival – well, nobody except de Prof.” That’s the one who was quietly laid down to his final rest yesterday morning.

“THE JOURNEY CONTINUES,” pledged the young men and women who affirmed the future of the dance company founded by the Prof who urged them to personal excellence through higher education and discipline. Some outside the circle only saw what they considered to be “foot shuffling and hip shaking”, not knowing (or caring) that in the dance, its practitioners also learn life disciplines.

In the face of cynicism, the statement delivered at the Little Theatre on Tuesday night by Nettleford’s heirs and successors, who identify themselves as the New Generation Dancers, proudly spoke of “renewal and continuity”, the mantra which will drive them on to keep alive what their leader began. The pledge that they made for renewal and discipline will also hold for other aspects of their lives and help them to be citizens of a new time.

SO WHAT NOW for the rest of us? It’s back to the thunder and lightning and the endless asking of the seemingly unanswerable question, where will it end? At the top of the search for hope (or the bottom of the pit of despair) is the future of our police force. How will confidence be restored in the face of the almost daily reports, of one incident after another, in which members of the force stand accused of betraying the trust of the very people whom they took an oath to protect?

The tirade launched by the Mayor of Spanish Town recently, against the failings of the police in the St Catherine capital, would have been unheard of years ago. Noticeable is the bi-partisan support accorded the mayor by colleagues on both sides of the political aisle who seemed eager to go on record with their condemnation of the cops, a certain vote-catcher in a time when the public is crying out for action against the excesses of “Babylon”.

Supt Assan Thompson, officer in charge of St Catherine North Division, has publicly taken strong exception to Mayor Wheatley’s allegations, especially the suggestion that there were “sloppy cops” who should be removed from the Area. Such cross-talk has exceeded the polite exchange which was once the norm between the police and elected officials, but these are not normal times. Thompson has declared himself vexed that “this man (the mayor), is tarnishing my résumé” and has countered the allegations with explanations of the actions which have been taken to address some of the issues raised by the mayor.

Spanish Town’s reputation as a crime centre is hard to dispel, despite the police cooling some of the heat generated through gang warfare. If further progress is to be made in maintaining a safe and secure environment, it will require leaders at all levels to collaborate and cooperate rather to engage in public kass-kass. While the mayor and council square off against the cops, “the wicked” find it easier to go through with their campaign of destruction. Without cooperation we could all crash.

THE AIR JAMAICA DRAMA continues. A media colleague, from whom I can always expect a vigorous debate, feels that “a lot of lies” are being told by people who should know better. He denounces the finger-pointing at the government when, he says, action should have been taken 10 years ago to shut Air Jamaica down and save the taxpayers’ money, including his “Nothing was done about it – and now I and other Jamaicans have to be paying for it,” he says. As far as he is concerned, the sooner Air Jamaica disappears the better. (Tek dat!)

DIASPORA REPRESENTATIVES will meet here shortly. They have already begun making their views on Air Jamaica known. The unresolved questions about voting in elections here will be addressed by the Jamaican Diaspora Advisory Board, elected in June 2008. The board is seeking to have them resolved. In getting ready for the forthcoming conference, there has been ongoing research and preparation of position papers from groups including the Jamaican Diaspora Future Leaders. We will tell you more another time.

HANG ON… SOON COME…

gloudonb@yahoo.com