Two former Premiers last night urged Bermuda's leaders to take a leaf out of Barack Obama's book and quit playing the race card.

Sir John Swan and Alex Scott — political opponents for so many years — cast aside their differences to agree that the Island can only embrace Obama's new dawn of hope if blacks and whites come together.

Speaking at an Imagine Bermuda event, Mr. Scott said Obama's success was partly down to his decision to erase race from the election.

"Wouldn't it be a wonderful and productive thing if we as parliamentarians, or even I as Alex Scott when I was in office, could do that," said the former Progressive Labour Party leader.

"There's a possibility that we in Bermuda have somehow become hooked on race. If we could kick that habit, this little country could be as productive as any community, any time, in the world.

"If this is a lesson, an example we have got from Barack Obama, what a great victory he had and what a great opportunity it will present ourselves. If America sneezes, we catch a cold. Well, if America with Barack Obama as president is gone into rehabilitation, then we should here take the cure."

Sir John, who was United Bermuda Party Premier for almost 14 years, was next to speak and hailed Mr. Scott's speech as the finest he had ever made.

Sir John said: "We need to get over race."

He urged people to speak out when they hear racism, and urged blacks to stop saying it was whites' job to bring harmony.

"I suspect that the whites today in Bermuda are traumatised by racism," said Sir John.

"It's our responsibility as leaders in Bermuda to deal with it. People said to me: 'You didn't take on this racial thing.' I didn't take it on because I didn't want to make Bermuda more racial.

"We have got to find a way in which we all get along well together. We need as a black community to address the race issue and stop asking the white community to address it when they don't know what the hell to do.

"If Barack Obama means anything to us, what it means is: here is a black man who says I'm going to bring about change which is to the benefit of everybody.

"We can't have a change if you are telling the majority of the world that they are evil and not to be trusted. We need a genuine partnership as articulated by Barack Obama."

The event, called to celebrate the imminent inauguration of Obama, began with a speech via video link from Spencer Critchley, who supported his campaign.

Mr. Critchley, the son of Bermuda's civil rights activist David Critchley, said working closely with Obama showed he was much more than just a good speaker, as some have perceived him.

"He was the finest executive I have ever encountered," said Mr. Critchley. "This entire groundbreaking organisation he set up was run by him according to his ideas."

Mr. Critchley said working on the campaign as a consultant was the most stressful but most satisfying work in his life.

About 100 people were at St. John's Sunday School, Pembroke, with speeches also coming from Imagine 2009 leader Glenn Fubler and former UBP chairman and anti-race campaigner Michael Winfield, and an Obama song written and performed by Gavin Smith.