The key challenge that will face the new government is how to maintain the precarious balance of implementing economic reforms while satisfying the social needs of the people. Economic growth has helped the majority of Indonesians, yet disparities in both between the very rich and the rest of the population and among religions have also emerged and have become a source of tension, especially that some of the very rich belong to the country's Chinese minority. Indonesia's Muslim majority wants a more equitable distribution of wealth. Regions, too, no longer remain passive while their resources are used to fund the development of other areas. Therefore a major task for any government is to develop a more equitable system of distribution of national income.
Unemployment is another major problem, especially among the youth.
It is therefore critical that the new government create more jobs and educate the population. One plan that has been considered is an 'economic affirmative action' policy that would favor indigenous Indonesians over ethnic Chinese. However, a policy of this sort is certain to stir ethnic and religious discontent. If a system favoring the indigenous Indonesian population were to be implemented, it would surely alarm the Chinese population since the Chinese were already victimized during the riots of 1998. Indonesia cannot afford to cause conflict with such a vital constituent of the economy, nor put investment and entrepreneurship at risk.