He said the values of the NDC were not about Rawlings, but were borne out of the sacrifices people lived to give meaning to the core values of probity, accountability and transparency.Mr Rawlings was speaking at the commemoration of the 39th anniversary of the June 4 revolution on the theme: “Re-organising towards the Core Values”, which brought together members of the party and leaders.

He said the youth were the future of the core values the party stood for adding that “our youth have to rise above factionalism created by some, to perpetrate their own agenda.”He told the youth to rise above factionalism created by some people within the party with their own agenda, adding that factionalism could only lead to disunity.

He said “Jerry John Rawlings is not a faction and will not be. Love me or hate me, but for our party to survive, the core values of what I stand for have to be respected and embraced.”The Founder said the NDC rose to its height due to the adherence to the core values, which led to the formation of the party and re-organising towards the core values of the party was the best bet for the resurfacing of the party, adding that “our backbone was the grassroots”.

The former President said ‘June 4’ stood for the values of probity, accountability, transparency, and dedication to the truth, adding that the survival of the NDC was hinged on the adherence to the core values of the revolution, and the core values of June 4 and 31st December Women Movement had been distorted mainly for parochial reasons.

He said “our political rivals and few of our own have contributed to the distortion by authoring books and telling stories that deliberately lie about the circumstance that led to the actions”To remember those whose lives were sacrificed for the success of the revolution, wreaths were laid for the people of Ghana, the security services, the cadre corps, traditional rulers, farmers and fishermen and the youth.

A perpetual flame was lighted and a moment of silence was observed to pay tribute to the departed souls.