The slap of time for Uğur Dündar...

An "open letter" duel has begun between Sözcü newspaper columnist Uğur Dündar and former CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. A spectacle of a fight...

It is a truly bizarre quarrel...

First, Uğur Dündar appeared on a program on Sözcü TV and, regarding Kılıçdaroğlu, who was a candidate in the presidential elections held on May 14 of last year, criticized him by saying, "History will not forgive you. If either Ekrem İmamoğlu or Mansur Yavaş had been nominated, that election would not have been lost! The sole person responsible for the defeat is Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu." he stated.

How dare you criticize?

Kılıçdaroğlu wrote a long "open letter" and directed a host of accusations at Uğur Dündar. 

He made insinuations that Dündar's journalistic past was full of dubious activities and stated that what was being said did not reflect the truth.

And so much more!

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You would think they are two sworn enemies, rather than one being a politician and the other a journalist!

It would not suit me to list those claims; those who are curious can find and read Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's message.

Uğur Dündar responded to these serious accusations immediately, and point by point.

"Your ambition is making you lie!" he even said.

Then he stated the following sentence exactly:

"Not only did I harbor no ill thoughts or actions toward you, but even during your blunder of nominating Mr. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu as a presidential candidate, I supported you against the AKP."

This is the very sentence that is the reason for me writing this article.

Because...

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The calendar showed August 2014. The duo of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and Devlet Bahçeli, blindsiding all CHP members, nominated the deeply religious Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu as their presidential candidate.

This religious candidate did not sit well with any true patriot or lover of Atatürk.

I, too, began writing frequently that I would not vote for this religious candidate and that I would not go to the polls if necessary.

There were a few other writers who expressed this just as I did.

As you recall, in the end, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu made that statement which has been etched into history in black letters:

"You will go to the ballot box and vote, whether you like it or not!"

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Do you know what the interesting part is?

Uğur Dündar, who is now engaged in a fight with the same Kılıçdaroğlu, officially began working like a marketing agent for Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu.

He attended the Aydın City Council meeting and "Anyone who does not go to the ballot box should never mention Atatürk's name again" he said, giving the greatest support to Mr. Kemal.

In the newspaper where I worked, I wrote the following piece on August 7, 2014:

“Oh, my dear brother, my wonderful brother; do these words suit you?

For some reason, you have thrown yourself entirely into supporting Ekmeleddin...

Look back at yourself; neither Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu nor Devlet Bahçeli is campaigning for Mr. Ekmeleddin as much as you are!

Slow down a bit, Uğur Abi...

You are my mentor, you know better than I do:

A journalist does not act as a 'marketer' for any politician; if there are mistakes, they point them out, and that's it!

But you did this for Recep Tayyip years ago; now you are on the side of Mr. Kemal and Mr. Ekmeleddin... You sit them both down as if you are doing real journalism, but... you never ask the questions the citizens are waiting for answers to.

You cannot ask Mr. Kemal, 'Where did this Mr. Ekmeleddin come from? Are you not aware that you are drawing the reaction of the CHP's true base with such choices? You met with the US Ambassador twice before the local elections; what did you discuss?'

As for Mr. Ekmeleddin, it is enough to ask him just one question, yet you cannot ask it:

'If you had not been nominated, who would you have voted for?'

You know; I would not hold back my words even if it were my own father questioning my Atatürkism or my revolutionary spirit.

You have been an Atatürkist for so long...

Go ahead and tell us so we can learn, where does 'Moderate Islam' fit into Atatürkism?

Or why would opposing the presidency of a man who receives a salary from the organization of the sharia-advocating King of Saudi Arabia make someone less of an Atatürkist?

You can support Mr. Ekmeleddin as much as you like... At the end of the day, if your life permits, five or ten years from now you will just say, 'I was wrong, I thought he was a democrat'; and that will be that!

But whatever you do, do not throw mud at anyone...

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There you have it; while responding to Mr. Kemal, Uğur Dündar did exactly what I said he would, and ten years later, he described the nomination of Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu as a presidential candidate as a "blunder."

In short...

This is the slap of time!

Uğur Dündar, who was lecturing us on Atatürkism and acting tough ten years ago, owes an apology to this brother of yours and to everyone who defended the same view... 

He owes an apology.

Note: It would be preferred if this apology were made via an open letter!