Every leader in a postcolonial or post-slavery society must not just be a politician they must also be teachers, according to Louis Farrakhan.

Speaking to The Royal Gazette during his weeklong stay on the Island, the Nation of Islam leader said: "The scripture says, 'My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge and it is the transfer of knowledge to dispel the ignorance that would cause men to be better men, women to become better women, and we could produce a better society'. So education plays a critical role and those of us who are in leadership, whether it is spiritual, or political, or educational, we have to look at what we are feeding the people."

He added: "And if what we are feeding them is not producing health, you have to check the food that you are eating, but if I am spiritually deficient, but I go to church then I have to examine what I am being fed, and if I'm politically deficient, then as a politician I have to be effective in teaching and leading.

"And that is what I would hope would come from having a black Premier and pretty much a black Cabinet and black Parliament that we become teachers, as well as leaders of our people and I know we will make a difference."

When it was suggested that perhaps educating the masses was not in the best interest of politicians, he answered: "This is the way of politics, as it always has been. So when we come into power we have an example of those that went before us that manipulated the ignorance of the ignorant.

"Give them a little something, have a little barbecue and give out chicken, but that is because people don't have an enlightened self interest. Once I know what my self interest is, it is not chicken, it's not playing Christian music (at pre-election rallies), although I love it and I'll eat the chicken, what I want to know is, what will you do to improve the quality of life for me, my family and the people.

"So again, the scripture is right, the ignorance of the masses is unfortunately what the classes have built their wealth upon."

On US President Barack Obama saying it was a "we" thing rather than an "us" thing when he was elected last year, Minister Farrakhan said: "He has an African father and a white American mother, he was reared by his mother and his grandmother, both of whom are white and so Barack Obama's desire is to see the races come together, and even though we are happy that a black man is President of the United States, he is not the 'black' President.

"He is the President of the United States of America, he makes that very clear and we should not expect him to be the black President. We should expect him to be the American President."

Asked if he thought that if the politicians here took the same stance, would things racially be different, he answered: "Well, you have a black Premier and he's not the first, but what difference does it make when we the people don't accept our responsibility.

"He's not a magician, there are forces in America that Obama has to deal. Once he sits in that seat, he will know all the forces he has to contend with to do what he hoped to do. It is so easy when you are not a President you are a senator to look at things from a senatorial viewpoint. But as he gets briefed of all of the problems of that nation then you see his views beginning to take changes.

"Well it is the same with the Premier, there are forces in Bermuda, you know, that any Premier has to recognise even though he may want to do many good things, sometimes he is very limited. But the only way that Bermuda can be as great as it can be, is if all of us who are stakeholders in the future of this nation function in the capacity that our gifts tell us we can function in.

"It would be the business community, which has to look beyond business to see what business can do to create employment for the masses, we have to look at the politicians, look at the pastors, look at the educators, we have to look at every segment of society. All of us have a role to play and we just can't sit back and fold our hands, and think about the power, 'now we've got a black Premier or a black President and it's all right now'. We can't just sit down and wait for someone else to do for us, what we can do for ourselves."