M’sian Lawyers Warn Others To Always Write Dates in Full in 2020 To Avoid Tampering

There are only two more days until we usher in a new decade as we welcome 2020. As the new year arrives, we all have to be careful not to write down the wrong date or abbreviate it, especially on official and legal documents. A viral message has been circulating on WhatsApp regarding this issue warning people to write down the dates in the upcoming year 2020 in full to avoid any misunderstanding.

According to FMT, two lawyers have told the daily the same thing as well and urged the public to write the date in year 2020 in full otherwise unscrupulous people could change the date without you knowing.

The viral message says, “While writing a date in the upcoming year 2020, we should write in its full format, e.g. 31/01/2020 and not as 31/01/20, because anyone can change it to 31/01/2000 or 31/01/2019 or in between any year to suit their convenience.”

It also cautions others not to accept documents written in the short form as well as it could lose its importance. However, this will only be relevant in 2020! Lim Wei Jit and Abdul Fareed Abdul Gafoor, the two lawyers interviewed by FMT, said that it is safer to do so as people could simply change the number for their own motives.

“I can foresee negative implications. So better to write 2020, to be safe. There is some truth to this if you do not want people to unilaterally amend your dates in documents. But it is not a must, legally,” Lim added. Abdul Fareed, who is also the president of the Bar Council, agreed on this issue. He added that although it is not a legal requirement, it is still advisable to use the full four digits in official documents to avoid irresponsible parties from tampering with the dates.

Take note, peeps and be more careful when writing dates on your official and legal documents next year!