Although the reasons I have mentioned lead me to believe that a great expansion of the powers of the Legislative Council and the Provincial Council is not desirable, I do not wish my words to be interpreted as a desire to diminish the usefulness of these two councils in their current capacity or to hinder their gradual promotion based on their performance with competence and reason. The proposals put forth by these two councils have indeed been taken into consideration by the government, and in recent years, many of their proposals have been accepted, which indicates that they are on the right path. I will refer in the chapters of this report to the proposals and criticisms of the Legislative Council and the attention they have received from the government. As these two councils gain more experience and understanding of the administrative issues presented to them, their influence on the policy of the Sudanese government will increase. Therefore, it is advisable to energize their members to broaden the scope of research and discussion and to express their opinions on all these matters with objectivity and frankness, but it is not wise or customary to make fundamental changes in their composition or their functions.

Self-governance Lord Cromer, in his report for the past year, quoted Lord Dufferin, saying: "Local self-government is the best preparation and the most effective means for approximating constitutional rule." Lord Cromer then elaborated on the measures taken to promote local self-government in these lands, concluding his remarks by saying that the time has come to consider modifying the composition and powers of the provincial councils to expand the scope of their work. We must acknowledge that if the desire is to make progress in this regard, then the participation of the educated classes in public affairs must be encouraged. We have stated that the country is not yet ready for full constitutional rule, but the promotion of municipal and provincial councils, and the expansion of their powers, will open the doors for the educated classes who aspire to self-governance and qualify them to undertake important future tasks.

The government has sought to achieve this goal and has prepared a comprehensive draft law to amend the system of provincial councils and expand their powers. This comprehensive draft law is currently under consideration and will be presented to the Legislative Council after it has undergone significant amendments and is finalized. I will briefly mention some of the intended changes for the benefit of the reader.