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DEBATE ON the 2015 budget statement and economic policy of government on the floor of Parliament yesterday turned into a verbal arena between the majority and minority sides of the House as the debate was changed to which government was in serious business with drug barons. The Members of Parliament engaged in heated exchanges on cocaine issues when the Deputy Minority Leader, Dominic Nitiwul raised bags of rice to symbolize the size of cocaine that was smuggled out of the country by a lady identified as Nayele Ametefe busted at the Heathrow airport in the United Kingdom. Mr. Nitiwul was called to contribute to the ongoing debate on the budget statement but prior to starting his debate raised bags of rice totaling 12 kilograms to symbolize the size of cocaine that was smuggled through the Kotoka International Airport before being arrested at Heathrow airport. According to Mr. Nitiwul, showing the bags of rice on the floor of the House was just a teaser to a statement he would be bringing on the floor today. But, his action did not go down well with the majority side forcing the leader of the House, Alban Bagbin to state that Ghanaians will not be perturbed by staining the ruling National Democratic Congress government with cocaine. Mr. Bagbin noted that history of cocaine could be traced to the opposition New Patriotic Party because their onetime Member of Parliament was once arrested and jailed for engaging in drug business. Minority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu on his part also responded by saying that his deputy did not mention any political party hence the majority leader ought not to have gone in that path. The heated exchanges forced the Speaker, Edward Doe Adjaho to suspend sitting for a few minutes for consultation with the leaders of the House on the matter. The Speaker said it was needless for the Deputy Minority Leader to have raised the bags since they had discussed and agreed that the latter should bring a statement to be read on the floor of the House. Upon resuming sitting, the leaders apologized to their colleagues with the Deputy Minority Leader saying he had earlier agreed with the Speaker to bring a statement on the floor but his action was just a teaser for his statement because the drug issue had taken a national dimension. Mr. Adjaho further stated that when the statement is submitted today and it is in line with the rules of the House, he will admit it but stressed that there was nothing like a teaser in the Standing Orders of the House. According to the Speaker, the people of Ghana expect them to debate the budget with the hope that their lives would be changed from their contributions. The arrest of Nayele Ametefe at the Heathrow airport has so far taken a national dimension with President John Mahama dissolving the Narcotics Control Board and the arrest of an Assistant Director at the Foreign Affairs Ministry and two others.