I have 2 friends in Tampines - both gave the same reason for voting PAP: they were afraid that Tampines would turn into a 'slum' if WP took over, thus affecting the value of their HDB flats.
One of them had sold an Hougang unit few years back at way below market value, moved to Tampines, and had been stunned at how 'modern' Tampines was. She didn't want to make the same mistake again.
As I've said, residents want to vote for estate managers, not MPs.