Nepal, July 12 -- "Roads that should be completed in two years remain unfinished for 20. From now on, contractors must finish roads on time-even if they have to be tied to trees, made to sleep on the road, or locked in sheds."

This was the remark made by Prime Minister Balendra Shah, then senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), during an election rally in Dhangadhi. Construction contractors objected to the statement, but many others viewed it not merely as campaign rhetoric aimed at winning votes, but as an expression of the public's frustration over years of politically protected contractors delaying road projects.

Citizens disillusioned with traditional political parties did not simply applaud Shah's speeches-they overwh...