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This year's annual June 4 celebration, which is enshrined in the constitution of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as one of the days celebrated by the party, was held with the leader of the party, President Mills, and his top government officials, virtually absent at the event grounds. President Mills, as predicted, shunned the big event. His ministers and other key party gurus also did not make an appearance at the event which was hugely graced by grassroots level of the NDC. Perhaps, there were some truth in speculation that the government had ordered NDC party hierarchy, Ministers of State, M/DCEs and other party officials not to attend the June 4 to make the occasion a failure. Though the programme was held in the Ashanti region, the regional minister, Dr. Kwaku Agyeman Mensah and his deputy, KMA Boss Samuel Sarpong, NDC Ashanti Regional Chairman Yaw Obimpeh, among others, decided to stay away from the event. If it is true that their decision to stay away from the programme was to make the event lose its colour, then they failed woefully from achieving their aim because the event was hugely graced by the foot-soldiers of the NDC. This year�s June 4 celebration would go down in history as one of the most attended and successful events in the annals of the uprising which brought about probity, accountability and social justice in the political terrain. As early as 6am, some dye-in-the-wool supporters of the NDC, decorated in party colours, were seen trooping to the Jubilee Park, venue for the event themed �Unity In Diversity, Our Strength�, which was formally to start at 2:30pm. These NDC fans sang and danced to �soloku� tunes till about 1 pm when top officials like NDC Deputy General Secretary Kofi Adams started arriving at the venue. As the clock ticked away, all available space at the Jubilee Park were seen covered with enthusiastic NDC fans who were dying to catch a glimpse of their hero, Mr. Rawlings, and his wife Nana Konadu. Nana Konadu emerged at the venue earlier with some of her children and the shouts of joy that greeted her to the event venue nearly shook the foundation of the Jubilee Park. The excited crowd was seen jostling one another, all in an attempt to have a better view of Nana Konadu. This made it extremely difficult for the security personnel to clear the path for her to take her seat. Barely minutes after Nana Konadu and her entourage had taken their seats, the NDC founder, Mr. Rawlings, also appeared at the event grounds to an electrifying chant that nearly turned the Jubilee Park upside down. Mr. Rawlings, after alighting from his car, dashed straight to the dais and walked back into the charged crowd who chanted �Papa J, Papa J, Papa J�, before he took his seat at the high table. Virtually all the speakers at the event including Joseph Yammin, the Ashanti Regional NDC Scribe and Kofi Adams took time during their speeches to slam top government officials and party members that neglected the function. They however thanked the numerous party fans that travelled from across the region to make the event grand. Close associate of the Rawlingses, Herbert Mensah, Dr. Ayirebi Acquah, one Dr. Opoku from London, Hon. Teye Nyaunu, Ativo Soyah and Ashanti NDC Deputy Propaganda Secretary were at the event. Daily Guide also gathered that some top constituency chairmen of the NDC were at the event but they were afraid to show their faces for fear of being victimized by the government.