To feel regret is a virtue

To feel regret is an expression of a person realizing their mistake and feeling shame, sadness, and guilt for it. The feeling of regret prevents the repetition of the same mistakes. In some cases, it also softens the heart of the one who has been wronged. 

People who consider themselves infallible and are held captive by their egos avoid expressing regret. In doing so, they also admit that they will not refrain from repeating the same erroneous, wrong, and even ruthless behaviors.

For individuals held captive by their egos, the opportunities to develop themselves on the path to self-correction and "purification" also disappear. Their circles gradually empty, and the trust and respect felt for them are lost. 

In politics, the path taken by politicians who have lost the trust and respect of society will not be long-term. Outside of interest-based clusters, no one remains around them.

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu feeling no regret regarding the lifting of parliamentary immunities, and not feeling responsible for Selahattin Demirtaş having been imprisoned for exactly 10 years, is a revelation of the hidden aspects of his personality.

It is also a signal flare for the steps he will take from now on in his capacity as a secret partner of the ruling power. It also reveals how he will use the power in his hands primarily to sideline his rivals in his own party and those who oppose him.

Oh, those days!…

Call him "Gandhi Kemal," call him "The Calm Power"… Call him "Piro Dede" or "Dersimli Kemal"…

However, let us now rewind the film 3-4 years and address Mr. Kemal;

"You will go and seek reconciliation with the mountains, the stones, and the bird with the broken wing. You will even pour out words to convince the bird, saying, 'that broken wing of yours, the CHP broke that too,' and you will apologize, express regret on behalf of the CHP, and ask for forgiveness;

You will dump all the pain, evil, and oppression experienced in the 73 years we were not even in power onto the head of the CHP, and then, with an authority received from who knows whom, you will express regret on behalf of all past and present CHP members and ask for forgiveness;

You will not even wonder about Merdan Yanardağ being imprisoned due to the interview he conducted with you, the TELE 1 he built with great effort over many years being taken from his hands, or him being accused with a fabricated espionage case without any evidence; you will brush the subject aside without feeling any responsibility.

Which 'rights of the people' (kul hakkı) that you mention in every speech are valid for which people, Mr. Kemal?

It was also very striking that you forgot or overlooked some oppressed people during the years you expressed regret on behalf of the CHP and asked for reconciliation.

For example, for some reason, it never crossed your mind to seek reconciliation with the families of the Republican intellectuals targeted by reactionary organizations in the past. The list is very long, but let us count some; Bahriye Üçok, Muammer Aksoy, Çetin Emeç, Ahmet Taner Kışlalı, Turan Dursun, Necip Hablemitoğlu, and of course Uğur Mumcu.

Since you had initiated a reconciliation that did not cover the periods when the CHP was in power, why were the names above, who are sources of honor for our Republic, not included in your chain of reconciliation? Was it because they were Atatürkist, Republican, Leftist, Intellectual, and in favor of LAICISM?

Did they not have as much value to you as 'those whose houses were demolished in Sulukule,' who were included in your reconciliation chain? Or did you cross them out because they were names that would disturb conservative voters?

Reconciliation takes place between an oppressor and an oppressed person. Since you found the authority in yourself to declare the CHP an oppressor and express regret on its behalf, why is it so hard to say 'I regret' now?

As a chairman who emphasized democracy the most, are you REGRETFUL regarding the presidential candidacy of Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, which you determined through secret meetings without the knowledge of all deputies and the party organization? Would you consider apologizing and asking for forgiveness from the deputies who stood against you on this issue and were subjected to your humiliations and disciplinary threats, and from the voters who did not go to the ballot box 'willy-nilly'? Did you feel no regret at all for gifting the Presidency to Erdoğan for another term?

As a former chairman who spoke so much about respect for 'democracy,' do you ever question in your own conscience the real reason why you were so intimidated by the will of the delegates and why you avoided the Grand Assembly by hiding behind extra-legal excuses?

The reality revealed by your resistance to feeling responsible for the occupation of the Headquarters and your avoidance of feeling regret as the person who gave the occupation order is this:

You feel regret and apologize inappropriately for every mistake and evil that you did not commit and are not responsible for, and you easily make calls for reconciliation due to the historical accumulation and even the ideology of the CHP.

Then why do you never feel regret for your own mistakes?

The only apology you gave with half a heart when you were in a very difficult situation was to the army of FETÖ advisors you employed for years. If they had not been arrested, you would not have made this apology either. However, to get the upper hand, you did not stop muddying the waters by sending a message with FETÖ connotations to Özgür Özel and his team.

Your sanctification of the AKP judiciary was very meaningful, Mr. Kemal. I suppose your great respect for judicial decisions that you had criticized for years, and your being so decisive and judgmental without reading any case files, is the product of a deep sense of trust you have recently developed toward the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary; congratulations!

I find it useful to remind you again;

Mr. Kemal, the process you started with your return via nullity and the methods you resorted to in order to establish authority are so grave that I fear there will be millions who will shout at you, 'regret at the end is of no use,' even if you feel regret in the future.

Millions will not forgive you, Mr. Kemal!"