THE earthquake which devastated Nias Island in North Sumatra is a national tragedy. Although it registered 8.7 on the Richter scale and is classified by the government as a `provincial disaster,' our inability to rapidly come to the assistance of the victims is in itself a calamity. It is not that the government failed to react rapidly or that our concern has lessened. It's just that our capacity to do something is far from adequate. Vice Presi