Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is confident that controversial blogger Alvin Tan and activist Ali Abdul Jalil, who are currently overseas, will eventually return to Malaysia.

The duo’s passports were cancelled by the Immigration Department, after they fled to the United States and Sweden respectively, after being charged with sedition in separate cases.

To illustrate his point, Zahid cited a Malay proverb, which states that no matter how far the "bangau" (cattle egret) flies, it will return to perch on the buffalo's back.

"I have a friend who was a student leader in 1974. He fled overseas. After 20 years abroad, he asked the prime minister, who was also home minister at the time, permission to return to Malaysia.

"This person is still active, but no need to mention his name," Zahid told reporters.

It was obvious that the minister was referring to activist Hishammuddin Rais (above) , who fled the country amid an Internal Security Act crackdown then.

Return or you're a coward

Zahid also dared Tan to return to Malaysia and face the charges against him, but said the government will not use the US-Malaysia extradition treaty to force him home.

"He should come back if he dares, otherwise he is a coward. That is why he never graduated and failed his university examinations," he said.

Tan first caught the limelight when he was expelled from the National University of Singapore for maintaining a sex blog with his partner Vivian Lee.

Lee and Tan were charged under the Sedition Act, Film Censorship Act and Penal Code on July 18 last year. Tan jumped bail to seek political asylum in the US.

He rubbished the government’s move to cancel his passport, saying it is merely a travel document.

Ali, meanwhile, was charged with several counts of sedition over Facebook postings on the royal institution.

He, too, brushed aside the passport cancellation and said that he is now a holder of a refugee card in Sweden.