i don't know why it's so hard to get Merit in my local council (indonesia)..but i will be honest it's very different when i read,,then see most of the newbies in each local council can easily get Merit,,both that Non-source of Merit nor source of Merit is very generous.
I'm probably the first Indonesian to give a different opinion on what you're complaining about. I don't agree with your opinion because it's hard or not for you to get merit only depend on the quality of the post you have regardless of whether the board has multiple merit source or not. If you can verify the veracity of your current complaint, could you please tell me which quality posters (especially newbie) are currently having a hard time getting merit on local Indonesian boards? If you can show it to me then I will be willing to review the post and give it a merit.
One of the determining indicator to get merit is not contribution, but you just need to make quality post. You should also know that some users have high standard but I'm sure it's just some of them while others vary. I only advise you to be willing to learn how the merit system works because only then will your mindset about merit change immediately.
Keep in mind that the merit system is not moderated and you may still struggle to get merit even if you have quality post and you also can't expect to get merit on every post you make even if you consider it a quality post. I don't think you are a new user because actually you are very knowledgeable about the merit system and also you are brave enough to compare it to other local board.