MACAU (UCAN) -- Local Catholics and a scholar have called for political reforms in Macau to address the May 1 protests of this and the previous year, the first such rallies to be held in the territory.

Both turned into confrontations with police, who firing warning shots during this year's protest, hitting a passerby.

Legislator Antonio Ng Kuok-cheong, who took part in the rally, told UCA News the following day that it protested against government corruption, collusion between government officials and businessmen, and working-class poverty.

The protesters were angry that the local government has long neglected their demands, said Ng, a Catholic and one of the few pro-democracy politicians here.

Such problems will continue to plague Macau for 50 years if there is no constitutional reform for popular suffrage, he noted. Under the territory's "one country, two systems" policy, its capitalist and political systems should remain unchanged for 50 years from its 1999 handover to China.

Ng accused the police of overreacting to the peaceful rally.

According to reports, people started throwing water bottles and eggs when police tried to disperse them.

Vicar General Father Pedro Chung Chi-kin of Macau told UCA News on May 2 that he was shocked to learn the police fired shots. He added that the incident exposed deep-rooted social problems beneath the veneer of a flourishing economy.

Father Chung noted that most protesters were middle-aged, low-skilled workers unable to compete for jobs with younger people in the mushrooming casino industry, or construction workers whose jobs were taken by workers from outside Macau, some of whom working here illegally.

"They cannot enjoy the fruits of the prosperous economy driven by the gaming and tourism industries," said the vicar general, highest official in a diocese after the bishop. He stressed his belief that reforms are needed.

Most imported and illegal workers in Macau are from the mainland, but some also come from Hong Kong or outside China.

Bill Chou Kwok-ping, assistant professor at the University of Macau's government and public administration department, agreed the local political situation has reached an impasse.

Macau's chief executive was elected by a 300-member election committee, comprised mainly of pro-Beijing and business people, Chou noted. He also described the Legislative Assembly as not playing an effective role, since it sides with government and business interests.

Under such an undemocratic system, government policies currently favor a small group of people with vested interests and prevent the public from enjoying the fruits of a flourishing economy, Chou said.

Addressing unregulated labor importation, illegal workers, inflation and governance issues might not be enough to satisfy the masses, he continued, but it would be better than nothing.

Meanwhile, Father Chung said the local Church is a small player in society and can do very little to help resolve such problems. "In the days of Portuguese rule, the Church and local government had a partner relationship, and Church leaders sometimes advised the government on policies," he acknowledged, but this role diminished after Macau reverted to Chinese rule in 1999.

"Now, it is more important for the laity to participate actively in politics and local government," he declared.

Macau diocese has about 20,000 Catholics, mostly Chinese, Filipinos and Macanese of mixed Chinese and Portuguese ancestry. This amounts to 4.2 percent of the 480,000-strong population.

The local government estimated the number of employees to be about 276,000 by the end of 2006. Ng estimates that the number of imported workers exceeds 66,000.

On May 1, police fired five shots in the air when the workers' rally turned violent. Police said 2,400 people took part in the demonstration but rally organizers put the number at 10,000. Some protesters called for Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau-wah to step down.

A bullet struck a 50-year-old passerby's shoulder as he was riding with his son on a motorcycle 300 meters from the rally area.

A local government statement on May 1 evening denounced protesters for violating the law during the rally. "The police have taken appropriate measures to handle the situation to maintain social order," it said.

During the 2006 May Day rally, clashes occurred when police prevented some 2,000 protestors from changing their route so as to approach the local government headquarters.