Putin : Reshuffle of ministers sign of weak leadership

A government reshuffle is a sign of weakness by a country's leadership, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Monday. The Russian premier was asked about the possibility of stagnation in administrative bodies as the reverse side of stability. "A ministerial reshuffle is a sign of weakness to the top leadership. It means people are either unable or unwilling to assume personal responsibility, and they shift it to someone else," Putin said in an interview with three Russian national TV channels. "Responsibility should always be shared. If we are guilty of something, then people should know that we are to blame. And the whole team should draw conclusions," he said. The prime minister said frequent changes of ministers are unlikely to improve the efficiency of state institutions. "This reshuffle and attempts to hide behind the back of state leaders, behind someone's else's back, as a rule, does not improve the efficiency of administrative bodies," the Russian prime minister said. "Before sacking anyone, you should first do your best to make this person do the work properly."