SESI

Executive Board
Rashad Pollard – Coordinator
Ruslan Morris
Lewis Olds
Stuart Cooke

Advisory Board
Harris Madden
“The enterprises Bapak means are joint
enterprises, undertaken jointly between
you, not by just one or two people only but
by a lot of people forming a company …a
Limited Company, which can really be seen
to have adequate capital… In this way the
enterprises you carry on will really be able
to strengthen Subud”. [72 YVR 2]
“The enterprises Bapak suggests to you are enterprises of
all the Subud members. They are not the enterprises of
individuals, because it is no longer appropriate for us to
pursue profit just for ourselves alone but, so far as
possible, we should do something together. To do this
implies that the people in Subud are in harmony not only
in their spiritual life but also in their worldly life. That
means harmony of thought and mind, so that you are
really living up to the highest human standards, which
makes us be harmonious, both as among ourselves and
also between all of you and other people”. [72CPT2]
“But our enterprises, which exist to fulfill our
needs and the needs of Subud in the world, are
all to some extent social in character. In other
words, the ultimate purpose of enterprises in
Subud is quite different from the purpose of
enterprises outside of Subud. Normally, when
people start an enterprise, they have only one
aim, and that is to make money for themselves.
In Subud, the aim of enterprises is many fold, and
these aims are primarily social”. [84CDK10]

So… if our Association is to achieve it’s purpose
— that is in undertaking outer works in the world
through social enterprises and projects — we
need to focus on the collective effort.

Of course the collective effort will greatly
support the individual membership — in
providing employment; training and internships;
in providing schools Subud children can attend;
in providing homes for the elderly in Subud and
even financial services, and so on…

At the Center level we can easily see good models
of collective effort.

Volunteers working in support of their local Committees
give their time and create or renovate Subud Houses. Some
are substantial properties and projects worth millions of
dollars (See Congress Display Area).

Now SESI is being asked to provide a supporting framework
to harness that model to create profitable enterprises in
support of Center developments; social enterprise projects
and our Association’s financial needs.

SESI is also being approached by Center Committees and
individuals interested in developing elder care facilities,
clinics, schools or art businesses linked to the financing of
Subud Centers or as stand-alone projects.

Obviously there are needs for support to social
projects/enterprises that SESI cannot fulfill alone but the
other Affiliates also appear not to be serving many of these
interests of the membership.

What seems clear is that we in the Wings seem to work in
“boxes”. So we all need to find ways to work collaboratively
together under a form of single roof so to speak.
In Kalimantan SESI will not open up investments to
the general membership until the enterprises they are
nurturing are into profit. The founding investors are
willing to put in the initial financing and effort until
this happens and then sell a majority interest to the
general membership to expand the business into a
Subud Social Enterprise.
 The IT team working on WSA’s Intranet project is
exploring a similar model for the creation of a new
International enterprise.
 Subud USA is establishing a National Enterprise
Working Group to consider its model and approaches.

On the international level we have found we cannot
give effective support to individual members’
enterprises across the whole world as much as we
might wish to help and support each other’s
personal lives.
 We have tried to pass on requests for support
through the Marketplace initiative on our web site
and through SES reps and to put business-oriented
members together locally.
 Success has been extremely modest and new
approaches are needed.


We’ve asked Congress to support the establishment of an SESI
implementation company, separate from but overseen by the
WSA. A Workshop on this topic is scheduled. One proposal is to
“take over” Usaha Mulia in Holland for a cost < US $2,000.

We ask Congress to support Working Party considerations to
establish some form of a Subud Financial Institution. A
Working Party of Banking/Financing Specialists (with MSF) will
begin to consider options ranging from a simple Subud
Enterprises and Projects Investment Partnership to a more
formal Virtual Investments and Savings Bank etc.
Encourage enterprise and business specialists to start some
appropriate form of Subud Enterprise/ Business Owners
Association/ Chamber of Commerce: See Forum of Business Experts.


WSA’s Intranet Project: to actively support
the database project, and the integration of a
new SESI and Centres Project web sites into
the intranet system. See IT/Intranet Forum.

WSA’s Centres Project: to provide tangible
support to the development and management of Subud Centres. See Property
Developers and Managers, and (with SDIA)
Elder Care Forums.

Other Workshops: Kalimantan Gold
Corporation presentations; Subud Centers’
presentations; Members’ presentations on
business and project topics

And… Display Area: Enterprises; Centre and
Social Projects.
THANK YOU!