"Studi ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui latar belakang pembentukan Barisan 20 sebagai badan perjuangan rakyat Muna pada masa revolusi kemerdekaan, peranan para pemuda dan bangsawan Muna dalam proses pembentukan Barisan 20, taktik dan strategi perjuangan Barisan 20 dalam mempertahankan kemerdekaan RI di daerah Muna, proses dan akhir perjuangan Barisan 20, dukungan masyarakat Muna terhadap perjuangan Barisan 20, serta dampak perjuangan Barisan 20 terhadap kehidupan masyarakat Muna.
Perjuangan Barisan 20 dalam mempertahankan kemerdekaan RI di daerah Muna pada tahun 1945-1949 dapat dikategorikan sebagai aksi kolektif. Jadi kerangka teori yang digunakan dalam studi ini adalah teori aksi kolektif dari Charles Tilly. Aksi kolektif adalah orang-orang yang bertindak bersama-sama melalui suatu organisasi dengan cara mobilisasi untuk memperjuangkan kepentingan bersama. Dalam kaitan ini, para pejuang Barisan 20 bertindak bersama-sama dalam menentang tentara NICA (Belanda) yang dilakukan melalui organisasi Barisan 20 dengan cara mobilisasi massa untuk memperjuangkan kepentingan bersama, yakni mempertahankan kemerdekaan RI di daerah Muna.
Penelitian ini dilaksanakan di daerah Muna Sulawesi Tenggara. Kegiatan penelitian mengikuti prosedur dan langkah-langkah yang terdapat dalam metode penelitian sejarah, yakni heuristik, kritik, interpretasi, dan historiografi. Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui studi kepustakaan, dokumentasi, dan wawancara. Data yang terkumpul berupa data deskriptif. Analisis data dilakukan secara kualitatif dengan menggunakan teknik analisis kritik historis, yakni kritik ekstern dan kritik intern. Sedangkan penyajiannya disusun secara kronologis, sistematis, dan ilmiah.
Data yang dibutuhkan dalam penelitian ini diperoleh dari sumber tertulis dan sumber lisan. Sumber tertulis diperoleh dalam bentuk dokumen (arsip), buku (literatur), dan artikel. Sedangkan sumber lisan diperoleh dari hasil wawancara dengan para pelaku sejarah yang masih hidup sebagai informan kunci. Sumber lisan juga diperoleh dari hasil wawancara dengan orang yang bukan pelaku sejarah tetapi banyak memiliki pengetahuan dan pemahaman tentang masalah yang diteliti.
Temuan hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pembentukan Barisan 20 dilatarbelakangi oleh adanya kekhawatiran para pemuda Muna akan kembalinya kaum kolonial Belanda untuk menguasai daerah Muna pada khususnya dan Indonesia pada umumnya. Selain itu juga dilatarbelakangi oleh adanya kesadaran akan pentingnya upaya untuk mempertahankan kemerdekaan RI di daerah Muna melalui organisasi perjuangan.
Peranan para pemuda dan bangsawan Muna dalam proses pembentukan Barisan 20 di daerah Muna ternyata cukup besar. Para pemuda Muna berperan sebagai pelopor dan pemrakarsa pembentukan Barisan 20. Disebut Barisan 20 karena pada awal pembentukannya organisasi perjuangan ini dipelopori dan diprakarsai oleh dua puluh orang pemuda Muna. Sementara para bangsawan Muna berperan sebagai mobilisator, terutama dalam mengerahkan massa untuk melibatkan diri dalam organisasi Barisan 20. Berkat peranan para bangsawan Muna sehingga dalam waktu yang relatif singkat jumlah keanggotaan Barisan 20 semakin bertambah banyak. Dalam perkembangannya Barisan 20 dilengkapi dengan kesatuan kelasykaran yang disebut Batalyon Sadar.
Pada awalnya para pejuang Barisan 20 berusaha memberikan pengertian dan pedahaman kepada masyarakat luas tentang pentingnya perjuangan mempertahankan kemerdekaan RI. Setelah itu mereka berusaha menjalin hubungan kerjasama dengan organisasi perjuangan yang ada di daerah lain. Para pejuang Barisan 20 menerapkan taktik dan strategi perjuangan secara gerilya. Selain kondisi wilayah daerah Muna yang sangat cocok untuk perang gerilya, juga karena dihadapkan pada kenyataan bahwa tentara NICA (Belanda) sebagai musuh jauh lebih kuat dibandingkan dengan pasukan Barisan 20. Taktik dan strategi perjuangan yang diterapkan oleh para pejuang Barisan 20 tersebut ternyata cukup efektif dalam meredam gerak ofensif tentara NICA di daerah-daerah pedalaman Muna.
Kenyataan menunjukkan bahwa masyarakat Muna juga memberikan dukungan sepenuhnya terhadap perjuangan Barisan 20. Mereka ada yang ikut melibatkan diri secara langsung dalam pertempuran melawan tentara NICA. Bagi masyarakat yang tidak melibatkan diri secara langsung dalam pertempuran, mereka secara sukarela menyediakan berbagai bahan kebutuhan bagi para pejuang Barisan 20 seperti makanan, senjata, dan uang. Bahkan ada juga masyarakat yang menjadi kurir dengan tugas menyampaikan pesan dan informasi tentang keberadaan musuh di daerah Muna kepada para pejuang Barisan 20. Berkat adanya partisipasi dan dukungan yang diberikan oleh masyarakat, para pejuang Barisan 20 mampu memaksa tentara NICA untuk melakukan perang berlarut-larut. Ketidakmampuan Belanda untuk mengalahkan para pejuang Republik pada umumnya telah membuka jalan ke arah perundingan yang pada akhirnya memaksa Belanda harus angkat kaki dari bumi Indonesia setelah pengakuan kedaulatan pada tanggal 27 Desember 1949.
Front 20 and Its Struggle to Defend the Independence of the Republic Of Indonesia in Muna South East Sulawesi 1945-1949
This study has the purpose to know the background of the establishment of Front 20 as a struggle organization of the people of Muna during the independence revolution period, the role of the youngsters and the nobility of Muna in the process of establishment of Front 20, the tactics and strategies of struggle of Front 20 in the defense of the independence of the Republic Indonesia in the Muna area; the process and the end of the struggle of Front 20, the support of the Muna community to the struggle of Front 20, and the impact of the struggle of Front 20 on the community life of Muna.
The struggle of Front 20 in the defense of the independence of the Republic of Indonesia of in the Muna area. in the years 1945-1949 can be categorized as a collective action. Thus the theoretical framework used in this study is the collective action theory of Charles Tilly. Collective action is people acting together through an organization by way of mobilization for the purpose of defending collective interest. In this connection, the strugglers of Front 20 acted collectively in confronting the NICA (Dutch) army performed through the organization of front 20 by way of mass mobilization to fight for collective interest, i.e. defending the independence of the Republic Indonesia in the Muna area.
This study was performed in the Muna area South East Sulawesi. The activities of the research followed the procedures and steps found in the method of history research, i.e., heuristic, critic, interpretation, and historiography. Data collection was performed through library research, documentation and interview. The collected data formed descriptive data. Data analysis was performed qualitatively by used of historical critic analytical technique, i.e. external critic and internal critic. While its presentation was compiled chronologically, systematically and scientifically.
The data required in this research were obtained from written and unwritten resources. Written-resources were obtained in the form of document (files) books (literature, and articles while unwritten resources were obtained .from the result of interview with participant of history still living as informants. Unwritten sources were also obtained from result _of interviews of those who were not participant in history but having knowledge and understanding about the question being studied.
Findings of research result indicated that- the establishment of Front 20 was back grounded by the existence of concern among the youngsters of Muna that the Dutch colonial people would return and would take power of the Muna area especially and Indonesia in general. Further it was also back grounded by the existence of consciousness of the importance of attempt to defense the independence of the Republic Indonesia in the Muna area through struggle organization.
The rule of the youngster and the nobility of Muna in the process of establishment of the Front 20 in the Muna area turn out to be rather large. The young people of Muna plaid the role of frontiers and initiative takers in the establishment of Front 20. Called Front 20 since at the beginning of its establishment this struggle organization was frontier and taken initiative takers by twenty youngman of Muna. While the nobility of Muna plaid the role of mobilization, especially in the mobilization of the mass to involve themselves in the organization Front 20. Thanks to the role of the nobility of Muna so that within a comparatively short time the number-of membership of Front 20 continued to increase. In his development Front 20 was provided with a semi military unit called Batalyon Sadar.
In the beginning the struggles of Front 20 strited to provide knowledge and understanding to the general community about the importance of the struggle to defend the independence of the Republic Indonesia. Thereafter they attended to establish cooperation with struggle organizations present in other areas. The strugglers of Front 20 applied gerilya tactic and struggle strategy. Aside from the conditions of the Muna area which is very fit for gerilya war fare, also since they were confronted with the reality that the NICA army as enemy was far stronger compared with the army of Front 20. The struggle tactic and strategy applied by the Front 20 strugglers appeared to be effective enough in stopping the offensive movement of the NICA army in the lands of Muna.
Facts indicated that the Muna community also provided full support to the struggle of Front 20. Some of them participated by involving themselves directly in the warfare against the NICA army. For the part of the community which did not directly involve themselves in the warfare, they took the initiative on own will to provide various materials required by the strugglers of Front 20 as food, weapon, and money. There were even members of the community who became courier with the task to bring massages and information on the presence of the enemy in the Muna area to the strugglers of Front 20. Thanks to the existence of participations and support provided by the community, the struggle of Front 20 appeared to be able to force the MICA army to perform long term war. The inability of the Dutch to defeat the strugglers of the republic have in general opened the way towards negotiation which at the end forced the Dutch to leave the Indonesian ground after the acknowledgement of sovereignty on December 27,1949."
