KATHMANDU: The recent cabinet decision to promote 22 joint secretaries to the secretaries has left a bad taste in the bureaucrats’ mouths. The cabinet had announced promotions on July 24. Many senior joint secretaries claim that the government did not evaluate their seniority and merit while promoting others. They claimed that many juniors got the promotion superseding them. The government did not promote more than half a dozen joint secretaries who have already served more than 12 years as on the same post but promoted those who had served only five years. The government did not promote more than six joint secretaries who are serving as acting secretaries at different ministries and constitutional bodies. Not promoting the acting secretaries to secretaries means their demotion to the joint secretary level. A joint secretary wondered, “How can we work after demotion?” Hari Ram Koirala, acting secretary at the office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, was confident and optimistic that he would get the promotion. But cabinet decision left him shocked. He was the in the top list of promotion. Koirala served as joint secretary for 14 years and did not get the promotion. Meanwhile, joint secretary Dharnidhar Khatiwada, who was hospitalised after complaining of hypertension, told The Himalayan Times from the Hospital bed, said, “I cannot say anything but there is not any person to rescue us. This is great injustice to me. Government failed to fairly evaluate our performance.” Khatiwada served 14 years as a joint secretary. He complained, “Many juniors got promotion.” Joint secretary Anil Pandey was the most senior among the recommended 66 joint secretaries but did not get the desired promotion. Pandey has served more than 15 years as joint secretaries. Hari Nepal, who has been an acting secretary for six months, did not get the promotion. Shital Babu Regmi also complained of hypertension because he did not get a chance to be promoted though he was in the top ten. Keshav Raj Kandel, meanwhile, is on indefinite leave. One secretary, who did not want to be named, said, “This is an extreme form of politicisation of bureaucracy.” Secretary Janak Raj Joshi has already tendered his resignation expressing dissatisfaction over the government’s choice of chief secretary. Most of the senior joint secretaries blamed the Minister for General Administration for not properly evaluating their work performances. Most of senior joint secretaries are busy meeting the Prime Minister and chief secretary to know why they were not promoted.