Jakarta, Aug. 17 -- Former President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Sunday said Indonesia's independence should be seen not as an endpoint, but as a gateway to building a just and prosperous nation.

"Independence is a golden bridge, as our founding father Bung Karno wrote in his 1933 book 'Achieving an Independent Indonesia'," Megawati said while serving as ceremony inspector at the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P's) Party School in Jakarta.

Quoting the words of her father, the late President Soekarno, Megawati said independence opens two paths --- one leading to prosperity and shared happiness, and the other to suffering and hardship.

"Independence is also the gateway to establishing a nation that is politically sovereign,...