I have observed that some members on the platform have up to 3,000+ Merits and some have just none. Meanwhile some are in a particular rank for a long time. Mine is over a year and I am still a Newbie.
The question is,
Does getting to a new membership Rank dependent on Merits, or they are just two independent awards?
getting new membership rank depend on both Merit and Activity, you already earned 1 Merit which qualifies you to become a junior member, but you are lacking in Activity.
This shows you've not been actively posting since over the one year you signed up on the forum, So for you to ascend to your next rank, you have to post/contribute more to the discussions on the forum to earn the required Activity level.
And also start making quality posts, and also make them in the relevant sections of the forum so you can stand a better chance at earning merits which together with Activity, will ensure the growth of your account both in rank and reputation.