Jakarta, Sept. 9 -- Acknowledging a misstep on his first day as Finance Minister, Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa pledged to be more cautious with remarks that could influence public or market sentiment, and asked for time to prove his capabilities.

Sadewa admitted that public scrutiny in the Finance Ministry is far greater than in his previous role at the Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS), where he could "speak more freely."

"Here, when I misspoke, my words were misinterpreted everywhere. That's why I apologized for my mistake yesterday," he said at a joint press conference with his predecessor, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, on Tuesday.

The minister apologized for comments made on Monday regarding the "17+8 People's Demands" raised during a recent pr...