Press on. The message was clear.
"When we know that our cause is right and we are clear in our purpose, that drives us." As he said this, NTUC Enterprise Co-operative Limited Chairman Lim Boon Heng reflected on the journey of the Labour Movement’s Social Enterprises (SEs) at the NTUC Enterprise Seminar held on 31 January 2013 at the NTUC Centre. The two-year journey towards SE2015 Vision, a collective commitment to further expand social impact on Singaporeans' "unmet and underserved needs" has seen good progress, he added.
The SEs collectively worked towards the key thrusts that were identified. They have strengthened price stability of essentials for even more customers, broken new ground to meet enduring and emergent needs, and have expanded services to support three generational families as they care for the young and old.
While the journey thus far has been good, Mr Lim noted that it also brought its share of challenges.
"All NTUC SEs need to do good. We exist to do good but we also need to be financially sustainable. We need to be profitable but we do not maximise profit," he said.
NTUC SEs, therefore, had to work much harder than other voluntary welfare organisations or commercial entities. Mr Lim also acknowledged that there has been talk that NTUC SEs have made their presence in many areas, with a public perception that they "squeeze out small businesses and deny them a livelihood." There are also criticisms that some have unfair Government advantage.
The way to tackle these issues, Mr Lim said, is to stay on the course with a common purpose in mind.
"First we must ask ourselves a very important question, "Why do we do what we do?" What drives the men and women in the NTUC SEs to continue to do their best every day?" he said.
