Two years ago, Prime Minister Erdoğan apologized on behalf of the Turkish government for the Dersim Massacre, which took place between 1937 and 1938. Just a few days ago on April 23, he again offered a statement of condolence to Armenians for the big misfortune they endured in 1915. In other words, Erdoğan took an unprecedented step that turned the attention to other political actors, particularly to the leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.Kılıçdaroğlu has not made any comments concerning the issue, however such topics are beginning to be subtly discussed by other members of the CHP.

No matter how superficial it is, there are even those among them who ask, "When are we going to break this taboo?" One of them said, "In fact, Kılıçdaroğlu quietly and unobtrusively broke a taboo two weeks ago" in reference to a documentary called "Hay Way Zaman" Kılıçdaroğlu watched in which the Dersim Massacre is thoroughly addressed.On April 15, Kılıçdaroğlu watched the documentary at the Ankara State Theater along with his wife and a number of political figures from the party. But he did not make any comment on it, or at least I have not come across any information as to what he thought about the documentary.

According to members of the CHP, let alone his comments, even his watching the documentary indicates that he broke a taboo.
There are even those who make an association between Kılıçdaroğlu's handshake with the 83-year-old Emoş Gülver, whose story is the subject of the documentary, and Willy Brandt's apology for the Holocaust.Having watched that documentary in December last year, I cannot help but wonder:What did Kılıçdaroğlu think about the texts in which the names of Atatürk and İsmet Inönü, who left creepy marks in history, are mentioned in the documentary that is based on true documents. Did he shed any tears over the expressions of soldiers who took part in the massacre?

While talking about those days, one of the soldiers that participated in the massacre said, "We murdered so many people" and then heaved such a deep sigh that I told myself, "Obviously we cannot resurrect thousands of people and their fragmented lives, but we can confront the massacre."

Or did he remember the accuracy of his previous words? He had said, "We need to approach the issue within the historical context of that time. There is no need to apologize for the Dersim Massacre. It is not true to perceive Dersim as a deep and dark incident in the history of the Republic."

I wonder how he evaluated following the words of Kazım Gürdoğan, the producer of the documentary. Gürdoğan said, "Our goal is to shed light upon the abdication of reason and atrophy of conscience, both of which are created by this murky mindset and to contribute to form a social consciousness."

To be honest, it is important that Kılıçdaroğlu watched this documentary but it does not necessarily mean breaking of a taboo as it requires courage. Is it possible to break a taboo by remaining silent?

As a leader who comes from a religious and conservative tradition, Erdoğan broke the taboo both by apologizing for the Dersim Massacre and offering condolences for the 1915 incidents. However, it is inexplicable for Kılıçdaroğlu to remain indifferent, as a political figure originating from that murdered society.

If the CHP takes such a step even for once, be sure that many things will change positively in this country. We are expecting a couple of words from Kılıçdaroğlu about the documentary.