Running a tight ship when surrounded by loose cannons

Ziauddin Choudhury

Running a tight ship means managing an organization strictly and skillfully with all your crew following a
strict code of discipline. This phrase is usually and more aptly used for institutions and organizations that
follow a chain of command than for a political government, but nevertheless success of every
government is judged by how disciplined or well ordered it operates. The head of an organization, and
for that matter a government, is well served when the chain of command is respected and obeyed. But it
is not easy to run a tight ship when the skipper is surrounded by loose cannons. To run the ship the
skipper has either to repair the loose cannons or replace these cannons if they have become too old and
cannot be repaired. The ship will soon founder if the loose cannons are not fixed or replaced.

Although the tight ship is a metaphor, in political governments there are often errant officials who
hamper its operation by behaving in irresponsible manner either by speech or acts that are comparable
to loose cannons in a ship. In parliamentary governments often cabinet or high officials make comments
or indulge in actions that are deemed inappropriate or contrary to government’s stated policy. In these
cases, as we have seen in parliamentary governments of other countries, the reprimand from the head
of the government is issued either in the form of denial or acknowledgment by the errant official of his
or her mistake. If there is a repeat behavior, the official is asked to leave by the head of the government
and the official obliges by resignation. In case, the official is a an appointee of the government, they are
removed from office. This is discipline. This is a how government is run. This is how public trust and
confidence are achieved by the government. This is how a government elected by people demonstrates
its integrity.

In an autocracy none of this is required, since neither the government nor its officials are accountable to
people. The government retains its legitimacy and power over absolute control over all agencies of the
government, from legislature, law enforcement, bureaucracy, and judiciary, appointment to all of which
are made by the authority, be it military or the party as in a totalitarian state. There is no room for
dissension or a loose cannon in such a state. Anyone speaking or behaving out of line will be out of their
office in no time.