I don't understand why you want merge mining. If we can improve the difficulty adjust algorithm, security will be better. All the other independent coins don't have merge mining.
I'm not sure what merge mining has to do with independence. All coins are independent weather they are merge mined or not, you don't have to merge mine it, it's just another option that will bring in more miners & thus help secure the network & attract a wider user base, which is important if a coin is to become successful.